Hello, I am Trudy Klassen and this is my first time running for a position on the school board. It is exciting to see many new candidates running as well. I look forward to working with all the trustees, including those from Mackenzie and Mount Robson, and to working collaboratively with SD57 staff to improve student success for all students in our district.
Voting for school trustees is important because student success depends on good decisions. Trustees set policy and manage a budget which is larger than the City of Prince George's. Trustees also make long-term plans for the district. These decisions should reflect the priorities of parents, residents, post-secondary institutions and our employers in order to best meet the needs of students. You don't need to be an educator to know what schools need: each voter has their own valuable perspective, so please vote on Oct. 20.
"Student Success through parent engagement is my main goal. Since parental engagement is the single biggest factor in student success, let's work to improve where we can have the most impact. Teachers know how important parents are to a student's success, the Ministry of Education says they know it, so I will be advocating this, and looking at every policy, budget, and planning decision, that comes my way, and ask: "How will this improve parental engagement and therefore student success?"
I grew up in a tiny homesteading conservative Mennonite community in northern Alberta where I attended a public school. I saw the school administration try to deal with low student attendance by implementing various programs to appease the most conservative members. These ideas didn't work. What worked was engaging the parents, year after year, as people deserving of respect, building on their shared values, and giving parents a voice in their children's education.
Vote for a trustee that has time to listen and engage, vote for Trudy Klassen.
