November 15, 2021
Fall Conference and AGM: Education and Celebration
Later this week, the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta will hold its Fall Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM). These events are always one of the highlights of my year as a public school board trustee, but this year it will be a bittersweet experience as this will be my last conference as PSBAA President. I have been so privileged to serve this Association as President for a total…
October 15, 2021
Get Out and VOTE!
Monday, October 18 is election day for locally-elected school board trustees and municipal politicians. Even if you don’t have children in elementary or secondary school, it’s important to do your homework and vote for the public school board trustee who best reflects your values and priorities. That’s because public school trustees exist to ensure that every child who goes into our public schools comes out prepared to be the future…
September 15, 2021
Challenge and opportunity in this fall’s return to school
Welcome back! I love the beginning of the new school year. I always have. It’s a wonderful time to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones. This September is different than most – partly because of the pandemic and partly because elections for public school board trustees are being held on Monday, October 18. As we navigate this latest wave of the pandemic, please know that public school…
June 30, 2021
Looking back, and looking ahead
Each June, as the school year draws to a close and summer vacation begins, I like to take a few minutes to pause and reflect on the past 10 months. There is always so much to be thankful for and to appreciate, especially this year. We have heard many stories of how our amazing K-12 school communities have risen to the challenge of learning during a pandemic. Students and teachers…
June 15, 2021
Celebration and optimism
Another Spring General Assembly (SGA) has come and gone for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA), and what a celebration it was! Even though our SGA was virtual again this year, we were determined nothing would dampen our enthusiasm and our spirits. As always, we were uplifted and encouraged after spending two days together. We were so privileged to have numerous guests in attendance, including our Education Partners…
May 31, 2021
A celebration of public school education in Alberta
This is such an exciting time of year for the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA). Not only is it spring, with longer daylight hours and generally warmer weather, it’s almost the time of year for our annual Spring General Assembly (SGA)! Due to the pandemic, we will be meeting in a virtual setting again this year, instead of in person. However, the setting has not dampened our enthusiasm…
May 14, 2021
Provincial funding and accountability should go hand in hand
In my blog posts recently I’ve been writing about why it’s important to have democratically-elected public school board trustees. The Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta’s (PSBAA) third belief statement is that Public schools are governed by democratically-elected trustees, accountable to communities and to the province. This is important because together as a board, school trustees decide how to allocate their jurisdiction’s share of more than $8.3 billion in yearly…
April 30, 2021
Education Week and the importance of local decision-making
Education Week 2021 in Alberta is from May 3 to May 7. This is a great time to highlight the importance of public education and the equally important role of public schools – and public school board trustees – in their local communities. But our public schools do not exist singularly or in a vacuum. Each public school is part of a public school jurisdiction that is governed by a…
April 15, 2021
Diversity is truly a lesson plan for life
Diversity, equity and inclusion matter more than ever before – here in Alberta, and especially in our K-12 public schools. That’s why the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta’s 7th and final belief statement is so important. “Public schools most closely reflect, embody, embrace and promote the diversity within today’s Alberta.” That’s a bold statement, but we passionately believe we need to do more than just reflect and embody diversity:…
March 31, 2021
Cooperation and collaboration benefit all students
This is an election year for locally-elected school board trustees in Alberta. It’s important to know the issues before you vote, and to choose the trustee – or trustees – who best represent you, your values and your concerns. Before you can make your choice, you need to know what your school board trustee candidates believe. That’s why I’ve been writing a series of blog posts on the Public School…