Taking Public Education to the Doorsteps

“No one has ever come to my door before running for school board.”

That’s the comment I’ve heard more often than any other after knocking on hundreds of doors since the beginning of July.

Since making the decision to run for Public School Board Trustee, it never occurred to me to not aggressively pursue the position. I’m doing this because I care passionately about the public school system in Edmonton. It’s important. Public Education is the cornerstone of a civil society and its schools are the heart of communities.

At the panel discussion I recently attended, we were reminded that there are four levels of government: federal, provincial, municipal, and school board. I’ve wanted to do this for 20 years because public school governance is important to me. It is a political position. Elected trustees represent the community that elected them, and that community has a democratic right to expect representation and to hold their trustee to account. It’s democracy at its best – at the grassroots level.

In this year’s municipal election I’ve gotten to know a number of other trustee candidates and am very happy to report that the majority of them share my passion for education and for democracy. The majority, like me, have been knocking on doors all summer and talking and listening to the communities they hope to represent. And it’s been noted by more than one person that in some wards there are more trustee candidate signs than signs for Councilor positions.

I hope this is the last year candidates will hear the above comment. I hope that door knocking and active campaigning become a normal part of campaigning for public and catholic school trustee candidates.

See you on the doorsteps!

- Tina.

The ASBA Seminar: Non-partisanship & Voting

I attended the Alberta School Board Association's Trustee seminar the evening of May 27th, which was quite well attended by my fellow candidates for trustee in Edmonton Public, Edmonton Catholic, St. Albert, and a number of rural boards near the City of Edmonton. I was encouraged to see so many out at this early stage of the election process. No matter the results at the end of the day, this level of interest bodes well for the health of elected school boards in Alberta.

Current Edmonton Public Trustee Gerry Gibeault was guest speaker for the bulk of the presentation. The first point Trustee Gibeault made is that the position of elected school board trustee is a non-partisan position. There is no “government” and no “opposition”. All trustees sit as elected by the voters in their respective wards with no party ties. Mr. Gibeault confirmed many of my thoughts with respect to the role of trustees and of public education in the community. I intend to work as a facilitator, and as a mediator – but I also intend to work for those that elected me. A school board constituency is no less a constituency than that of Premier Ed Stelmach’s in Fort Saskatchewan – Vegreville, or NDP Opposition Leader Brian Mason’s in Edmonton Highlands – Norwood.

Another topic that came to my mind and many others during the course of the day was in speaking to voters without school-age children. It’s a reality that many municipal voters will not have children in school. So, for those people, what impact does the election of Public School Board Trustees have on your life?
The children in our public schools are tomorrow’s workforce – the doctors, lawyers, clerks, caregivers, and leaders of tomorrow. The children in our public schools are learning not just the curriculum, but life skills and quality character traits. The school in your community reflects and contributes to the reputation of your community.

The role of Public School Trustee means to be accountable to all the voters/taxpayers in the community – parents and non-parents alike, school board staff and students. I will be that trustee.

Trustees, even with their reduced power, still make the ultimate decisions on everything not specifically delegated to the Superintendent. Each trustee has a responsibility to make the decision that is best for their constituents and their ward. Part of that decision making is being a communicator, a planner, a policy maker, a lobbyist, an advocate. I will be that trustee.

While schools in Ward I are currently not part of the Sector Reviews being undertaken by the current Edmonton Public School Board, I am reminded that the Mill Woods communities in particular are approaching 40 years of age and the community has changed dramatically over time. We need trustees who will be open to alternative solutions when the future of schools is debated – trustees who will think outside the box and invite creative ideas to maintain vitality in communities. I will be that trustee.

- Tina.

Twitter, Facebook, Technorati, Photobucket...

I really can't believe the sheer size and scope of everything that's available online and in social media!

As this site will be, after all, a bit of a journey as I go through the twists and turns of a campaign, I feel it's only right to make a quick comment on the proliferation of social media as a campaign step!

I mean, I'm on facebook, and have been for some time, but it's the twitter, the various blog tracking sites like technocrati, the photo hosting sites like photobucket, the 'feeds', and of course Blogger and WordPress themselves that get complex! Just the sheer numbers of tweeks and add-ons for one little blog is quite astounding!

Anyway, here's a quick round-up of where I can be found on every social media medium!

Twitter:

PublicTrustTina

Facebook:

Tina Jardine for Public School Board, Ward I

More to come! Oh, and for my Technorati blog claim... UA2DMRDEURWW .

Back to my leaflet!

- Tina.

Introducing Tina Jardine for Ward I

Who am I, and why am I running for Public School Board anyway?

Well for starters, I am both a parent and a grandparent, whose children went through Edmonton Public Schools from Grades 1-12, and whose grandchildren are now or will be attending Edmonton Public Schools very soon.

I moved to Edmonton in 1973, from the small farming community of Drayton in southwestern Ontario, where approximately 1200 people make their homes.

I worked in the Edmonton Public School system for many years, both in administration and as an Administrative Assistant, where I spent time primarily in the programming and curriculum departments. I was very involved in my workplace, and with my colleagues among the Edmonton Public support staff. I served as both President and Vice-President of Local 3550 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, before changing direction to become a legal assistant ten years ago. I now work with a downtown law firm.

Community work and volunteerism are lifelong passions for me. I've volunteered with hundreds of amazing people for almost a decade at the Edmonton Folk Festival, and with the Capital Region's United Way. I also served a very short one year (2008-2009) portion of a 3-year term on the Edmonton West-Central Community Health Council (before the councils were dismantled by the Health Minister in 2009).

I'm running because I know that strong public schools are the pillars of healthy communities, and I don't feel that we're doing as well as we could be on either front.

You see, trustees have the ability and responsibility to press the provincial government for proper funding for all classrooms, proper resources for special needs children, and all educational and school necessities.

It is unacceptable for parents to have to fundraise for basic school equipment, and maintenance funding should be based on physical building needs, not doled out piecemeal on a per pupil basis. Older schools need upgrading: electrical, plumbing, heating. We cannot wait until our buildings become so decrepit that they are finally included in a capital plan. We need to fix them now.

Trustees also have a responsibility to listen, to address the concerns of their constituents and not just become another arm of administration. Too often, school board trustees view themselves as part of the system - rather than working to ensure that the system is accountable to the public!

Rather than close schools to meet punitive utilization rates, we need to think differently using a community school model. We need creative ideas to keep schools open in communities and used year-round. We need to work with the City of Edmonton to help revitalization efforts in older neighbourhoods, and not be counter-productive by closing community schools.

It's my goal to be a strong and sincere advocate for the needs of children and the expectations of parents, and create the best working environment possible for all Edmonton Public School Board staff. I'm a veteran member of that staff who knows the system, and how we can change it for the better.

Finally, I want readers to know that I am a parent and grandparent with a vested interest in making Edmonton’s public schools the best schools they can be.

So enjoy this little blog and website, and please contact me if you'd like to know more!

- Tina.

587.784.5220
votetinajardine@gmail.com