Questions for the NDTA All Candidates Forum

Please limit your answers to 80 words or less per question.

1. If elected, what do you see as your primary role?

Engaging the communities & stakeholder groups to enhance our school system so that it
accurately reflects local priorities & values. To work with fellow trustees on planning, policies
& budget with an eye toward fiscal responsibility, enhancing the student & teacher learning
environment and to distribute resources equitably.

2. Describe any experience you have in setting and monitoring large organizational budgets.

Supervising two seismic crews operating in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia for two years ($1
million per month budget). Project Manager on a 3-D seismic survey in California ($5 million
budget). Part of a 10-person evaluation team that convinced executives of an oil company to
acquire (in a sealed bidding process) an equity stake in an oil-field ($3.65 billion).

3. In SD68, senior management positions have increased by 35% since 2001 while teaching
positions have decreased by 17% in this same time frame. Are you satisfied with our districts
current ratio of administration to teachers? If cuts are necessary in the future, would you
support cuts to senior administration?

Total enrolment has also dropped by 17.8% (2000 to 2013). An increasing district
administration is out of line with a declining teacher/student environment. We must cut
district administrative positions & use that money to help students. Unfortunately, the current
board has been reluctant to make these cuts. In May of this year, they cut 12 full-time
teaching positions and 16 full-time support worker jobs, but only 1 administrative position.

4. What is your position on the restoration in the
collective agreement of guaranteed class-size limits,
specialist teacher ratios, and provisions for supporting
students with special needs?

It is past time that the province honour the decision of
the courts and restore these rights. Once limits are
negotiated, they should be a ceiling that we hope never
to hit. Each classroom is unique and teachers, in
conjunction with school administrators, should be
empowered to make decisions based on the composition
and needs of their students. District administration
should work hard to support schools, teachers &
students.

5. What do you believe to be the most pressing problems in our school district?

(Not in any kind of priority order)
A balanced budget and advocating for an increase in provincial funding.
Trimming top-heavy district administration.
Meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Equitable community representation.
Employing critical thinking, common sense & asking tough questions.
More support for students & teachers.
Maintenance and upgrading of facilities.
New, diverse board members with fresh ideas and creative solutions.
Improving learning and teaching environments.

6. What course of action do school trustees have if the budget does not meet the needs of
students?

We can include stakeholder groups in the budget process and consider creative solutions not
yet explored or tried. We must send the budget back until ways are found to reduce district
administrative costs, starting with some senior management positions.

7. What will you do to ensure that there is regular and meaningful consultation with teacher
representatives on matters of education policy and education change in this district?

It would be my desire to include stakeholder representatives in board meetings; offer them
positions in the room where current admin staff sit and include them in discussions during
board meetings. We must work together to achieve positive change. It is vital that we elect
new, forward-thinking candidates to the school board.

8. Given that hiring practice policy has recently been changed, what will you do to ensure that
the personnel hiring practices of the school and district-level administrators are ethical, fair,
and based on a respect for due process?

At a regular meeting (Feb 26 2014) the Board approved a recruitment policy -
http://is.gd/recuiting - that delegates full hiring authority to the Superintendent for many
positions.

The board should review the strategic governance model, as it was adopted in 2011 and been
in place for a while. How is it working? Do we like it? What, if anything, should we change?
Have the trustees delegated too much authority to the Superintendent and silenced the voice
of communities?


9. What are your thoughts on the current Liberal education agenda, as expressed by their
recent Blueprint?

This blueprint is outlined here: http://is.gd/blue_print

The purpose of public education isnt to try to meet labour market priorities (often a cyclical
boom/bust target), but rather to lay a strong foundation for thoughtful, independent, critical-
thinking adults. At the same time, many students might benefit from hands-on learning or
training opportunities. How this blueprint is integrated and executed will be important.