I’m running because I believe every student deserves the opportunity to learn, belong, and thrive. I want to help ensure the Board’s priorities, budgets, and decisions support that purpose.

As a current public-school parent and former classroom teacher, I care about what happens in classrooms and the wider conditions that shape learning. I would bring a practical, thoughtful approach: listening across perspectives, asking careful questions, and keeping students’ learning and well-being central to decisions.

I bring the perspectives of a current public-school parent, a former classroom teacher, a small business owner, and a community volunteer with PAC leadership experience.

These roles have helped me understand classroom realities, family concerns, collaboration, and the responsibility of working with limited resources. I hold a BC Professional Teaching Certificate, although I am not currently employed as a classroom teacher.

I would bring curiosity, practical judgment, and a willingness to learn from students, families, staff, and fellow trustees.

Learning & Opportunity: Strong classroom learning, appropriate supports, and access to opportunities that help students develop their abilities and interests—including pathways beyond graduation.

People & Connection: Respectful, welcoming school communities where students belong, staff are supported, and families have meaningful ways to contribute.

Responsible Stewardship: Thoughtful use of public resources, with attention to evidence, trade-offs, and long-term needs—from staffing and transportation to facilities.

These priorities are connected. Our people, resources, and decisions need to work together to support students.

School trustees work together as a Board to set district priorities and policies, approve the budget, and oversee the superintendent’s leadership. They listen to their communities and hold the district accountable for its work.

The Board influences resource allocation, local policies, and how progress is assessed. It also advocates to the Province for district needs.

An individual trustee cannot promise a Board decision. Understanding which concerns belong at the school, district, or provincial level helps direct action where it can be effective.

I would start with the purpose of the decision: how will it support students’ learning, belonging, and well-being?

Then I would listen to those affected, review the evidence, understand the Board’s authority, and consider costs, trade-offs, and unintended consequences. I would ask who benefits, who might face barriers, and whether the approach is sustainable.

Listening does not mean every request can be met. It means taking concerns seriously, weighing them fairly, and explaining the reasons behind decisions—including when there is disagreement.

Students should have meaningful access to learning, appropriate challenge, and the support they need to participate and belong. Inclusion needs to be reflected in their daily experience and progress.

As a trustee, I would ask whether individualized learning goals are meaningful, whether supports are available and coordinated, and what students, families, and staff tell us about barriers. I would review learning, participation, and belonging evidence alongside district averages, including gaps affecting students with disabilities or diverse abilities.

Through the Board, I would support clear priorities, appropriate resources, and follow-up on results. Individual assessments, support plans, and staffing assignments are the responsibility of district and school staff; the Board’s role is to oversee whether the system is providing effective support.

Strong learning and student well-being belong together. Students need effective teaching, appropriate challenge, and support when they encounter barriers.

I would review evidence such as literacy and numeracy assessments, graduation trends, and students’ experiences of safety and belonging—not rely on a single measure or district-wide average.

For example, the numeracy findings in SD23’s 2026 Enhancing Student Learning Report identify a need to improve Grade 7 and Grade 10 proficiency and understand differences between classroom results and provincial assessments. I would ask what those findings mean, which learners need additional support, and how the district will assess whether its response is helping.

My role would be to support clear priorities, appropriate resources, and follow-up through the Board—not prescribe classroom teaching methods. That includes considering the conditions staff need to do their work well.

Students should have meaningful opportunities to explore their interests and prepare for different futures—including university, college, skilled trades, apprenticeships, and employment.

SD23 already offers career exploration, work experience, and dual-credit pathways. I would support building on that work by asking whether students and families know about these opportunities, who can access them, and what barriers remain.

For Westside students, that includes understanding how program location, transportation, scheduling, and prerequisites affect participation.

I would support strengthening or expanding pathways where evidence shows unmet need and a sustainable way to respond. Success means more than offering a program: it means helping students make informed choices and move into further learning, training, or work.

People affected by decisions should have meaningful opportunities to contribute while options are still being considered.

I would support clear information, accessible ways to provide input, and explanations of how that input was considered. PACs and district partner groups are important, alongside opportunities to hear from people who cannot attend meetings or may not feel comfortable speaking publicly.

Students, families, and staff bring different knowledge and experiences. My responsibility would be to consider those perspectives fairly, alongside evidence and district-wide needs.

Through conversations so far, I’m paying attention to transportation, the transition to the new secondary school, access to courses and programs, and the pressures of a growing community.

These issues connect. Where programs are offered can affect travel time, family logistics, costs, and students’ ability to participate.

I want to understand what is working, what should be protected, and where families or staff experience difficulties. I would bring Westside perspectives to the Board while considering district-wide needs, available resources, and the evidence behind proposed solutions.

A budget should connect educational priorities with the resources needed to carry them out.

I would ask what a proposed expenditure achieves for students, what alternatives exist, and what its ongoing costs would be. Staffing, transportation, facilities, and services need to be considered together because decisions in one area affect others.

Responsible stewardship means using resources thoughtfully—not simply choosing the cheapest option. It means maintaining what we depend on, planning ahead, and making an evidence-based case to the Province when district needs exceed available funding.

Student learning should guide the use of technology. As a parent and registered teacher with classroom experience, I support a cautious, evidence-informed approach to generative AI that protects foundational skills, independent thinking, privacy, and human connection.

Generative AI creates content such as text, images, and answers in response to prompts. It may help with explanations, feedback, accessibility, and educator preparation, but it can also produce inaccurate or biased information. Learning about AI is different from using it to complete assignments. Students need opportunities to build knowledge, question information, and explain their own reasoning, with appropriate learning supports.

What does the research tell us? I have been looking at research on how these tools affect learning. A 2025 study published in PNAS examined nearly 1,000 high-school mathematics students in Turkey. Students using a GPT-4 tutor resembling a standard chatbot performed better during practice but worse on an assessment after AI access was removed. A tutor with teacher-informed safeguards largely prevented that decline, without demonstrating better independent assessment results than learning without AI.

This is one study in a specific setting, not a conclusion about every age, subject, or tool. It highlights why producing answers and developing understanding need to be considered separately. The researchers wrote: “Our findings highlight the need for thoughtful integration of generative AI in educational settings to ensure that human learning is preserved.”

What guidance already exists? SD23’s responsible-use guidance addresses approved tools, privacy, developmental appropriateness, clear assignment expectations, and transparency about AI use. It emphasizes independent thinking and teacher judgement, with evidence of learning gathered through conversations, observations, and student work.

What would I do as a trustee? I would work with the Board to review emerging evidence, ask how guidance and safeguards are working, and consider educator training, equitable access, and ongoing costs through policy and budget decisions. I would listen to students, staff, and families. Trustees make decisions collectively; district staff lead implementation and teachers guide classroom learning.

The question I would bring to the Board is: What evidence shows that students are developing understanding—and what support do educators need to make that happen?

For questions about your child’s classroom, start with their teacher, then principal. Broader questions about district policy, resources, and accountability can be raised with the Board.

Read more: SD23’s generative AI guidance and resources · Bastani and colleagues’ 2025 PNAS study

I support SOGI-inclusive education. Every student should be treated with dignity and protected from bullying and discrimination. I also support age-appropriate learning, transparency about teaching resources, and respectful involvement of parents and caregivers.

SOGI means sexual orientation and gender identity. Provincial requirements include protections against discrimination and SOGI-inclusive school codes of conduct. SOGI 123 provides resources to support inclusive education; it is not a separate curriculum.

As a trustee, I would address concerns about local policies, communication, and implementation within the Board’s authority. I would support clear information and advance communication about planned sensitive learning, while respecting student privacy and safety. Where concerns involve provincial requirements, I would help people understand where to raise them and bring well-founded district concerns forward for the Board to consider in its advocacy to the Province.

SD23 has established relationships with Westbank First Nation and Okanagan Indian Band, reflected in the shared Equity in Action Agreement for Truth and Reconciliation. I would build on that work with respect, preparation, and a willingness to learn.

I recognize First Nations as rights holders with distinct governance relationships. I would respect local Nations’ protocols and the Indigenous Education Council’s formal responsibilities, including its advice to the Board and role in approving targeted Indigenous education funding plans.

I would also listen to Indigenous students, families, and community organizations, recognizing the distinct experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit learners.

My focus would be on following through on shared commitments: addressing barriers, supporting learning and belonging, and reviewing progress with Indigenous partners. Their perspectives, alongside evidence about student experiences and outcomes, should inform how progress is understood.

My responsibility as a trustee would be to serve students and the public interest. That requires clear boundaries between Board responsibilities and my personal, employment, and business interests.

I am not currently employed as a classroom teacher. My school-based mindful movement programming through Pebble Yoga & Mindfulness is on hiatus. I am on leave from my casual lunch supervisor role until after the election and will resign from that role if elected.

I would disclose relevant interests, seek advice before participating where a potential conflict arises, and follow applicable disclosure and recusal requirements. Where recusal is required, I would step back from the discussion and decision.

I would not use the trustee role to promote my business, pursue district business opportunities, or use confidential information for personal benefit. These boundaries help keep Board decisions focused on students and maintain public trust.