School Board Trustee Candidate Pledge

 

A public commitment to defend public education funding, local school board governance, local bargaining and local democracy

WHEREAS locally elected school board trustees, and the school boards they govern, are best positioned to make decisions that reflect the needs and priorities of their own communities, and this local governance authority must be defended against erosion or downloading by the province;

WHEREAS local bargaining rights, and the collective agreements they produce, reflect the realities of local school boards and their education workers, and must be respected and defended at the board table;

WHEREAS a strong local democracy depends on trustees who are transparent, accountable to their communities, and responsive to the education workers and families they serve;

WHEREAS $6.5 billion has been cut from Ontario public education funding since 2018, forcing local boards to make impossible choices about staffing and student supports, and trustees have a public platform and a duty to advocate for the funding their communities need;

WHEREAS schools lack sufficient Educational Assistants, Child and Youth Workers, Designated Early Childhood Educators, office and administrative staff, library staff, professional support staff, custodial staff and IT staff, and trustees have a direct role in how board budgets are allocated to close these gaps;

As a candidate for the position of school board trustee, I pledge to:

  • Defend the local governance authority of school boards and elected trustees;
  • Respect and defend local bargaining rights and locally negotiated collective agreements;
  • Champion transparency, accountability and local democracy in education decision-making;
  • Publicly call for increased, sustainable provincial funding for public education to hire more education workers across all classifications to support students and their learning environments;
  • Support fair allocation of board resources so students and education workers have the staffing they need to succeed.