Amid the campaign signs for mayor and city council dotted across the city of London stand the school board trustees, competing at the same time and in the same election for trustee positions in the London District Catholic and Thames Valley District school boards. Despite the visibility of their own signs, as well as the past visibility of London’s school board trustees in the public eye, the issues facing the trustees can seem overlooked.
“They get occluded by the ward races,” says Mike Donachie, the editor-in-chief of the London Ontario Online News (The LOON). “I would really like to see the trustee races or some… form of that become a better conversation in this community.”
The trustee races within the city come at a turning point within Ontario school boards. The election represents the first one held since the
Medway High School. The issues surrounding the trustee election for London school boards come at a transition point for the Thames Valley District School Board.
Source: XFM News
Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) was placed under supervision by the provincial government. It is also the first election to be held since Bill 101 was passed, restricting the power of trustees in Ontario school boards.
Donachie believes these have contributed to the trustee races being overlooked, and that they speak to flaws within the trustee system.
“That then undermines people’s sense of agency around using their vote there,” he says.
His beliefs are not unanimously shared, however. Joanne Andrews, a candiate in Wards 11, 12, and 13 in the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) believes that while “there can always be more attention placed upon [the elections],” the notion of it being overlooked is one she disagrees with.
“It’s up to us as candidates to bring that attention,” she says.
Andrews says that the voting public within her ward has been paying attention as well. She says that during her campaign, she has heard concerns about a wide range of issues, including student success, classroom size, and school and transportation safety.
Likewise, in a statement provided to XFM News by Andrews’ fellow LDCSB Wards 11, 12, and 13 candidate Dr. Swapna Simon, issues cited as being important to voters also included accessibility to opportunities for students, namely the International Baccalaureate program.
“For me, this raises a simple but important question: If a student qualifies for a specialized program but cannot realistically get to it, is that opportunity truly accessible?” writes Dr. Simon.
There are concerns with with the restriction of trustee powers as well. “It’s definitely a limiting factor,” says Andrews, but adding that she doesn’t consider it insurmountable.
“There’s ways we can work together… use teamwork, use collaboration, use consensus-building to get to the point we need to get to.”
Overall, both Andrews and Dr. Simon agree that the experience of the students within the school boards is the most important issue in the trustee elections.
“It’s about making sure the students… maximize their potential, reach their potential, even go beyond if possible,” Andrews says. “When you boil it all down, that’s what it comes down to.”
