My Record
Accomplishments as a Trustee
Since 2014
Programming
- Increased resources for math education.
- Increased resources for science education including hiring of lab technicians for WSD high schools.
- Advocated to maintain funding for special needs education including the retention of Special Needs Educational Assistants.
- Expanded full day kindergarten to 11 schools including at Fort Rouge School
- Established 3 bilingual language programs including Cree, Ojibway, and Spanish
- Opened a new French milieu school – École Sir William Osler to ameliorate the overcrowding in French language schools in the south end of the WSD.
- Added a new French immersion school At École Luxton to keep up with growing demand for French language education in the WSD.
- Supported the establishment of an Indigenous Advisory Council
- Funded and supported the International Baccalaureate Program at École River Heights School – The first middle school program of its kind in Manitoba.
- Created an International Education Program– to encourage foreign students to study at WSD and to encourage Students & Staff to expand their international learning opportunities. A growing and new source of non-taxpayer supported revenue for the WSD.
- Supported a Swim to Survive Program, which teaches water safety to every grade 4 student in the WSD. A partnership with the City of Winnipeg and the first of its kind in Manitoba.
- Brought Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Program to Manitoba. We have expanded the program to 5 WSD Schools. This is a student led environmental and community development program that teaches students to become leaders in their community.
- Established a Food Council for the WSD. Another first for Manitoba. Community led committee that reviews all aspects of nutrition programming and food policy at the WSD.


Teacher Support
- Initiated a review of how WSD was teaching math in its schools and made quality math instruction a priority at the WSD.
- Created an Early Intervention Program for special education students
- Increased school based funding for the arts
- Established a Math Task Force reforming professional education of math instruction at the WSD
- Supported a review of Student Attendance Policy and initiatives including requiring administration to submit monthly tracking reports to the Board of Trustees.
- New on-line based correspondence courses for WSD students.
- Created and implemented a Right to Participate Policy that ensures all students the ability to participate in after-school clubs and enrichment programs regardless of their financial ability to pay. One of the first such policies in Canada.
- Supported the Indigenous Land and Treaty Acknowledgment at school and school events. Again, the first school divisions in Manitoba to do so.
School Facilities/ Environmental Sustainability
- Invested in green capital infrastructure including energy retrofits that has resulted in significant savings for ratepayers.
- Invested in our 21st Century classrooms by funding Wi-Fi for all WSD high schools.
- Ensured all high schools provided healthier food options for students.
- Initiated an audit of traffic congestion/safety issues at pick up and drop off times at WSD schools.
- Upgraded the security systems in our schools and established a CCTV camera privacy policy for the WSD.
- Created a Universal Access Construction Playground Fund to make sure that our new playgrounds are wheelchair accessible – another first for Manitoba.
- Created an annual division wide Student-led Environmental Sustainability Conference– another first for Manitoba.
- Advocated and received approval from the Province for the construction of Waterford Green School to reduce over-crowding in the Division’s Northwest.
- Increased funding for capital repairs and maintenance at the WSD.


Accountability
- Publically advocated for a change in how public schools are financed and a move away from taxes based on property.
- Secured changes to WSD meetings to ensure that they were more transparent and open to the public.
- Advocated for more public meetings and consultations to enhance the public’s accessibility and input into the budge discussion and decision making of the WSD.
- Initiated the live streaming and video taping of all regular Board meetings
- Improved Transparency – opened up committee meetings – put more information on internet
- Restructured our bureaucracy – eliminated a superintendent position and reduced the bureaucratic costs at WSD. We are now tied as the lowest Division in Manitoba for administration costs.
- Initiated the creation of a division wide Strategic Plan – the first such plan in a generation at the WSD
- Advocated for School Finance Reform – advocate for the increase in Provincial funding of education and less reliance on property taxes to pay for schools.