Name: Patricia Grand
Age: 72
Occupation/background: interior designer
Why are you running for school trustee?
I have 13 years of valuable experience to bring to the position, I have proven I can do the job and have many ideas for involving advocates. I have also spent the last 22 years actively involved in my community.
What three priorities are important to you and how do you plan to tackle these issues, if elected?
Improved communication and consultation with stakeholders.
Aligning student capabilities with attainable educational goals through curriculum.
Resource sharing to end purchase duplication of applicable studies
How do you plan to work toward a balanced school district budget?
There is no choice about a balanced budget, Trustees will listen to representatives of applicable groups affected by changes in the budget, set a target and direct their staff to bring a first draft for consideration – it is a process.
Trustees need to work with available local information and end paying for irrelevant studies from questionable sources.
Trustees should be working with their parent organization to reset standards for addressing related provincial issues such as a system to create a class size equation that has local flexibility reflecting student needs.
The entire negotiations process should be reviewed. The province negotiates with the unions, but the school boards have to live with the terms en masse.