- What is the greatest strength of the TVDSB? I believe the greatest strength of TVDSB is the teachers that put in tireless work day after day to educate our children, they are the backbone of the education system. I also believe that the size of the Board is a strength in the number of specialized programs that they are able to offer to students to further advance their education in all kinds of different fields.
- What is the greatest weakness/failure? The biggest weakness I see with TVDSB has been with senior management and some of the Trustees, mostly from the City of London, but the two Trustees from Oxford on many issues when it comes to working with the rural municipalities. There is also a rift when it comes to the rural/urban divide which has caused many frustrations of the rural stakeholders to bubble over in recent months.
- Do you value french immersion or specialty programming? If so, do you have any solutions for protecting it?As a parent of a high school student enrolled in the musical theatre program at WCI I have seen firsthand the benefits these specialized programs have on a student’s overall educational experience and specialized programs such as French Immersion should be protected at all costs.
- What is your experience (volunteer or paid) in the school community?I have been a part of several Parent Councils over the years and have also helped out with fundraising in the past as well.
- What do you think is your biggest asset in running for trustee? My biggest asset in running for Trustee is I am a good listener and when a problem arises, I advocate for a solution to a problem. When TVDSB did their accommodation review in Ingersoll in 2009 I advocated for several parents when it came to redrawing the school boundaries and made a presentation to the committee on the issue. I enjoy advocating for parents when they need problems solved.
- How do you plan to cooperate with the rest of the board/advocate for Oxford County? What will make you more successful than our previous trustees?If elected I plan on working with fellow trustees to find a solution to the urban/rural divide, and working on repairing the relationships with our municipal partners which have been damaged in recent years. I will advocate for Oxford County as well; we have a growing population and will need new schools built. The Board has already stated that there will be a new school in Woodstock coming and have said they plan on building a new school in Ingersoll. We need to make sure that we do a better job in planning for these new schools so that we don’t run into the same issue that is happening in London with their newest school already being overcapacity. I also want to advocate for all students to be afforded the same opportunity when it comes to programs that are offered. I think it is a disservice to students that some programs are only offered in London, which the board says is open to all students in the system but then not offer bussing shutting out many students because they lack transportation into London. I also plan on being more open and accessible than the past trustees that we have had. If parents have an issue or a concern, they can reach out to me and I will do my best to help resolve the issue or point them in the direction where someone in the Board can help them with finding a solution to their issue.
- Anything else you would like to add? The last thing I would like to add. If someone asks a question that I don’t have an answer for I won’t just give them a talking point and move on, I will tell them I don’t have the answer but I will look into it and get back to them with an answer.
Website: https://sethforoxford.ca
