My Priorities

Strong Students

With children currently in post-secondary, secondary, and elementary school I know first-hand the importance of the environment they come through. The quality of the instruction at our schools has been impacted by many variables over the years my children have been in Saskatoon public schools. Some solutions require greater funding provision to the school board which can only be achieved through advocacy to the government to increase the amount of funding received per student, or to revamp the funding formula to take advantage of the availability of large data models to accurately account for the education cost of each student in our system. Other solutions require targeted attention and are results of strategic choices that have been made. Key priorities for me are:

  • Classroom size and complexity
  • Diverse offerings appealing to students with different interests
  • Continued focus on core curriculum skills
  • Access to mental health, social, and physical literacy and supports
  • Continued work in reconciliation

Forward Looking

Our students in kindergarten today will graduate in 2037! The world will be greatly changed in terms of required skills, types of jobs available, and social knowledge needed. When my oldest child started school, she spent hours learning cursive writing, and before she has even finished university her challenge is learning how to incorporate, use and compete with artificial intelligence. We can challenge our schools and teachers to be forward-looking while delivering the standard curriculum. Key priorities for me are:

  • Increased industry partnerships reflected in the classroom
  • Strong focus on digital literacy skills
  • Encouraging collaboration with peers more reflective of real world processes
  • Developing strong critical thinking and problem solving skills

Involved Community

The fast population growth in Saskatoon combined with the impacts of the pandemic and budget constraints have created a distance between the broader community and our schools. Our schools should be the centre of our communities. While our schools were once full of parent and community volunteers during the day, and community groups and private users in the evening this connection and engagement has decreased. This lack of connection leads to misinformation, misunderstanding, and underuse of valuable community resources. It also means our students don’t gain the benefits of knowledge and experience of our communities and don’t gain the connections to be involved citizens of the future. It also leads to support broad-based legislation that doesn’t always make sense in our local context. Key priorities for me are:

  • Increased community partnerships reflected in the classroom
  • Increased parent and community involvement in schools
  • Classroom and student involvement in community initiatives
  • Schools redefining themselves as centres of their communities