WRDSB Parent Involvement Committee
Answers submitted to the WRDSB Parent Involvement Committee. Posted here so anyone can read them.
If you had to choose between competing priorities, which two would you put first?
Improving academic achievement
Building practical and life skills
Not selected: supporting student well-being; maintaining and improving schools and facilities.
Why are those your 2 chosen priorities?
Those are most closely aligned with the primary purpose of schooling.
Given that resources are limited, what would you protect or increase in the Board's budget to better prepare students for a changing world?
The world is always changing, and I believe we best prepare students when we equip them with timeless skills and knowledge: (independent) reading of the great books of the Western canon, rigorous math instruction, a culture of high standards and discipline, and opportunities for physical activity and outdoor education.
The Board already has a very large budget, and we first have to get more transparency about spending before we decide on shifting funds around. There are ample opportunities to cut from the equity, diversity, inclusion and indigenization portfolios. Those are political advocacy positions that don’t belong in public education and do real harm to students.
Beyond academic results, what should the Board look at to know whether students are developing the skills, confidence and resilience they need to grow and adapt?
Broad parent consultation, community/employer surveys, and tracking alumni are some possible ideas.
If elected, what is one specific priority you would want to see reflected in the WRDSB’s next multi-year strategic plan, and how would you use your role as a trustee to help move it forward?
Establish a culture of free speech and informed decision-making at the Board. All controversial topics need to be vetted by hearing from several top experts on both sides of the issue. For example, if the Board is claiming John A. Macdonald was a genocidaire, then they have a duty to present the evidence and subject it to contestation. Rewriting history by fiat is unacceptable.
Finally, what are we missing? What do you believe our public education system needs to do differently today because of the world our children will inherit tomorrow?
We can’t predict the future, but we can look to the past to see what works. That includes re-focusing on Western values (presumption of innocence, due process, free will, individual rights over group rights, etc.) and ceasing to unfairly disparage our forefathers. It requires that we stop dividing students up by identities—they are Canadian citizens (hopefully) that should graduate with a commitment to stewarding their inheritance of freedom, not attempting to transform society into some sort of social justice utopia.
Would you like to meet with a member of PIC to better understand our committee?
Yes — I would like to learn more.