Key priorities
Every child in Port Moody deserves a school district that supports them, believes in them, and prepares them for what's ahead. My priorities for SD43 are shaped by knowing that good decisions come from working together.
Here's how I want to contribute.
Supporting every student
"When classroom supports are stretched thin, teachers carry the load and every kid feels it. Meeting the minimum on paper isn't the same as having help in the classroom when a kid needs it."
Enrolment in SD43 is slowly declining, but the number of students needing extra support is rising, and their needs are becoming more complex. Funding follows enrolment levels. But the kids who are here still need the same teachers, support staff and buildings, whether there are fewer of them or not. This is a real challenge for SD43.
The board has made real progress. This year’s budget added more than 40 education assistant (EA) positions. EA supports have doubled over the past decade, and staffing for learning support teachers, counsellors and teacher librarians is set to meet or exceed provincial ratios. The district and board deserve credit for this, but need keeps outpacing what we are delivering. Also, what’s approved on paper isn’t always what our diverse learners are getting in the classroom.
The district often can’t hire fast enough or find the right support a student needs. When we don’t have enough supports, that pressure falls on staff already stretched thin or on families. The district needs to be able to say publicly how many positions are filled, how long they stay open, and what happens on the days they aren’t – diverse learners and kids with disabilities still need supports.
Families are waiting on the same problem from the other side. A child who needs a designation to unlock support can wait a long time for an assessment, and the learning lost during the wait is hard to come back from. Early help makes it less likely a child will fall behind. Once a child receives an Individual Learning Plan (IEP), they need consistent, regular support throughout their school experience.
Staffing isn’t the only lever. Directions 2030 commits to ensuring every student has a trusted adult at school, catching attendance problems early enough to understand what’s behind them, and giving teachers real training to support students through self-regulation and distress. Those commitments are heading in the right direction. The Indigenous support blocks in our secondary schools show what happens when the district funds something purposefully and stays with it. I would like to see this standard applied more widely to support every student in a successful learning journey.
As a trustee, here is what I’ll do:
- Treat classroom supports as the last thing cut and the first thing funded, and vote that way when the budget comes to the board. Kids deserve these supports.
- Ask for public reporting on vacancy and fill rates for support staff, so the board can govern on what’s happening rather than what was approved.
- Ask the district to report publicly on how outcomes differ across our schools and student groups, so gaps are visible to everyone.
- Open communication with education assistants, youth workers, support staff and parents who know what kids need and where there are gaps. We need to be persistent and make sure we aren’t leaving kids behind in their learning and school experience.
Protecting programs of choice
"Parents and kids need access to choices. An hour each way to get to a program is a barrier, and for a kid already struggling it can be the reason they don't go at all."
Families in SD43 have real choices in how their children learn and that is worth protecting. French Immersion, Mandarin Bilingual, Montessori, iHub, and our gifted programs give students different ways to engage with school and help families find the best programs so their children can thrive.
These programs depend on stable funding, qualified staff, and enough space to meet demand. Port Moody is growing even as the district’s overall enrolment declines, and I want to see the board plan ahead so that programs of choice remain accessible to families across the district rather than becoming harder to get into each year.
Where programs are located matters too. Right now, some students can spend an hour each way getting to a program of choice or alternate program on the other side of the district. This can be a challenge for families, and a barrier for kids already having a hard time with school. I want the board to look at how programs of choice and alternate programs are spread across the district, and to plan for options closer to home.
I also support exploring new programs. SD43’s outdoor education currently reaches students in grade 10 through the COAST program, and I support bringing nature-based learning to younger students so more of them can benefit earlier in their school years. After years of volunteering at Mossom Creek Hatchery, I know what time outside and a hands-on connection to nature can do for a young person. I also know partnerships with local community organizations can bring rich experiences to students.
Choice should work for every family. I’ll advocate for the board to protect the programs we have, keep the entrance process fair and transparent, and make sure options are within reach of Port Moody families.
Preparing students for the future
"Kids who find a spark early tend to hold onto it. That's where career pathways should start."
The world our students are heading into looks nothing like the one most of us grew up in. Technology, careers, and the skills that matter in the workplace are shifting, and school programs need to keep pace.
This starts well before high school. Kids are curious, and those who find a spark or interest early tend to hold on to it. SD43’s strategic plan, Directions 2030, commits the district to building career pathways from kindergarten through to post-secondary, including giving students in kindergarten to grade 8 real exposure to different careers. As a school trustee, I want to support this in practical ways: a grade 4 class visiting a shop floor or a lab, a middle school robotics or coding club, a hatchery or trades day where kids get their hands dirty. Port Moody has employers, makers, scientists, and community groups who would welcome those connections. The school district should be making it easy for schools to connect kids to these resources.
By high school those early sparks should turn into real options. SD43 already runs strong career and trades programs. Students in the ‘Work in Trades’ program can start a paid apprenticeship while still in school and earn up to 16 graduation credits toward a recognized trade. The district has a working relationship with BCIT and has run trades sampler days and post-secondary exploration days with SFU, UBC, and Kwantlen. I want the board to deepen those partnerships and add more of them. We need to pair this with modern STEM learning that includes AI and digital skills, so students graduate knowing what they are good at and where it can take them.
I’ll advocate for the board to follow through on the career pathway commitments in Directions 2030, to fund the partnerships that connect classrooms to the world outside them, and to make sure Port Moody students have the same access to these programs as students anywhere else in the district.
Promoting school safety and well-being
"Children learn best when they feel safe, and the adults who care for them deserve that same safety. Our schools need to invest in more supports across the district."
Every student deserves to feel safe walking down the hallway, sitting in the classroom, and moving through their school day. SD43, along with other districts around the province, continues to see a rise in violent incidents both in the classroom and in the wider school community, including incidents directed at the teachers and Education Assistants (EAs) working directly with students. Some schools have started building calm rooms, mindfulness spaces, and providing de-escalation training for staff, but SD43 has identified that these efforts are uneven across the district.
As your trustee, I’ll work with the board to invest in what keeps kids and classrooms safe and supports their wellbeing. This includes funded, consistent training for teachers and EAs, and adequate staffing, including school counsellors, so students in crisis get the right interventions and we can reach kids early, before small problems become bigger ones. I’ll also push to strengthen the district’s partnerships with community mental health agencies and other partners so students get the supports they need consistently and early on.
Children learn best when they feel safe, whether that’s in the hallway, on the playground, or at their desk, and the adults who care for them deserve that same safety. Safer schools mean a richer learning experience for all students.
Planning for Port Moody's growth
"School planning needs to happen early, and with thoughful collaboration. It can't wait until families have already moved in. Our neighbourhoods and schools are just too important."
Port Moody is growing and our schools need to grow with the community. As new neighbourhoods like Inlet Centre and Moody Centre take shape, planning for future school capacity must start early and alongside municipal development. It can’t wait until families have already moved in.
Too often, opportunities to build shared benefit into new developments get missed simply because the right conversations didn’t happen early enough. This includes joint-use agreements for gyms and fields, shared child care spaces, or co-located community amenities that serve both students and neighbourhoods. We are missing opportunities to bring more amenities to our community, and I want to make sure these discussions are a priority.
This only works if the school district and its trustees have a good working relationships with the community and opportunities to collaborate early on with Municipal leaders, developers, and the provincial government. I am committed to keeping these conversations open and productive for our community.
Ensuring fiscal responsibility
"Every dollar should reach students and classrooms first."
One of the main responsibilities of a school trustee is making sure every dollar in the district budget is well spent on students in the classroom. That means the board has to ask hard questions about where money is allocated and why. Families and taxpayers deserve to understand how those choices get made and to trust they are made with student learning in mind.
Good fiscal management is about more than balancing a budget. It’s about funding the things that matter, like strong programs, well-supported teachers, and the range of supports children need to succeed.
It also means looking beyond the budget we’re handed. Provincial funding hasn’t kept pace with the real cost of running our schools, and I’ll work with the board to advocate to the Ministry of Education and Child Care for funding that reflects what our schools actually need. At the same time, I’ll advocate for the board to pursue grants, partnerships, and other opportunities that bring new resources into classrooms rather than relying on the same stretched dollars.
As a trustee, I’m committed to transparency throughout the decision-making process, and I’ll always advocate for dollars to reach students and classrooms first.