How I'll serve
Supporting Every Student
I believe inclusive education begins with supporting students as they are, not as we expect them to be.
Today’s classrooms include students with an increasingly wide range of abilities, languages, learning styles, experiences, and support needs. Our approach to education has to evolve with them.
As schools serve rapidly growing numbers of students with disabilities, including neurodivergent students (autism and/or ADHD), we risk letting students fall through the cracks if the system is stretched too thin. It's important for LRSD to build division-wide capacity to respond to increasingly diverse classroom needs, while also maintaining robust specialized supports where they are most effective.
The number of multilingual learners in our schools is also growing. We must ensure they have the language supports and instructional tools they need to participate fully in classroom learning while developing proficiency in the language of instruction.
At the same time, supporting students should not mean treating linguistic difference as something to be stamped out. Language knowledge is an asset, and our schools should create opportunities to build on it. French Immersion and Basic French should continue to be strengthened so students can meaningfully build proficiency in both of Canada’s official languages. LRSD has also built strong programming in Anishinaabemowin, Cree, and Michif. We should continue maintaining opportunities for students to learn and sustain Indigenous languages as they move through school.
I believe that trustees should help educators respond to what students actually need, rather than assuming one model, one program, or one definition of inclusion will work for everyone.
As Trustee, I would support efforts to:
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Proactively engage with students and families whose perspectives may be less likely to reach the Board, while improving access to consultation processes for those who face barriers to participation because of disability, language, or other factors.
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Invest in building division-wide capacity among teachers, EAs, clinicians, and front-line school staff to better support students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
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Maintain a continuum of supports that includes specialized classroom environments for students who benefit from them, including considering additional Early Years options.
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Champion language learning across LRSD, including French Immersion and Basic French, while building on existing Indigenous language programming.
Sharing the Work
I believe teachers should have the time, tools, and support to focus on what they do best: teaching.
Today’s educators are being asked to respond to increasingly complex learning needs while also navigating growing administrative demands, changing technology, pressures on school infrastructure, and the many challenges students bring with them into the classroom.
Responding to those needs takes a team. Teachers do their best work when they are surrounded by people, resources, and community partners who can share the work and bring different expertise to the table. That means making sure educational assistants, clinicians, clerical staff, substitute teachers, families, and community organizations are all able to play their part in supporting students.
If we’re asking teachers to meet the needs of today’s students, we also have to give them the time, tools, and capacity to do it well. Sharing the work means building stronger supports around the classroom, making sure educators have the resources they need, and creating effective learning environments.
As Trustee, I would support efforts to:
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Invest in EAs, clinicians, clerical staff, and other school support personnel so specialized, administrative, and student support work does not continually fall back onto classroom teachers.
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Strengthen partnerships with health, settlement, recreation, family-serving, and community organizations so students and families can access the support they need.
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Ensure educators have access to the tools, materials, and teaching resources they need to deliver engaging, high-quality learning without having to continually fill gaps themselves.
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Modernize school buildings for a changing climate to reduce disruptions to teaching and learning caused by extreme heat, poor air quality, and other changing environmental conditions.
Leading by Learning
I believe good governance is rooted in community.
Good decisions rarely begin in the boardroom. They come from listening to students, families, educators, staff, and community partners, and taking their experiences seriously alongside research, evidence, and professional expertise.
I’m especially passionate about helping young people understand how decisions are made and giving them meaningful opportunities to participate in shaping them. Students are not simply recipients of education policy; they are members of our school communities with valuable knowledge and perspectives of their own.
Trustees will never have all the answers themselves. They are responsible for asking good questions, seeking out the knowledge of those closest to the work, and using what they learn to make thoughtful decisions as circumstances and community needs change. I believe community engagement works best when it’s intentional and proactive. Strong leaders don’t just make themselves available; they create regular, accessible ways for people to ask questions, share ideas, and be part of the conversation.
Trustees are also responsible for advocating for the resources our schools need, and for using them thoughtfully. That means making careful, evidence-informed choices about where investments can have the greatest impact, and being willing to adapt as circumstances and community needs change.
As Trustee, I would support efforts to:
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Help engage students in school governance, including through classroom presentations about what trustees do and accessible, age-appropriate ways for Ward 4 students to communicate with me as their trustee.
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Make myself more accessible to families, educators, and community members, through regular Ward 4 drop-in hours and clear public communications.
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Establish a formal student observer seat at the Board table and continue creating more opportunities for students to meaningfully help shape decisions that affect them.
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Make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions about LRSD’s resources, adapting programs and investments as circumstances change to put resources where they can have the greatest impact for students.