Key Priorities
My Priorities for SD43
Every child in Port Moody deserves a school district that sees them, supports them, and prepares them well for what’s ahead. My priorities are shaped by years of listening to parents, educators, and neighbours across our community, and by a genuine belief that good decisions come from working together.
As your trustee, I will bring a collaborative, informed approach to five priorities: supporting every student, protecting and expanding programs of choice, preparing students for a rapidly changing world, ensuring fiscal responsibility and transparency, and planning thoughtfully for Port Moody’s growth.
Planning for Port Moody’s Growth Through Collaboration
Port Moody is growing, and our schools need to grow with it. As new neighbourhoods like Inlet Centre take shape, planning for future school capacity must start early and alongside municipal development, not after 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, like joint-use agreements for gyms and fields, shared child care spaces, or co-located community amenities that serve both students and neighbourhoods.
These aren’t complicated ideas, but they only work if the school district has opportunities to collaborate early and often with Municipal leaders and the community.
Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency
Every dollar in our school district budget comes from the public, and every dollar should be accounted for and explained. I believe in asking hard questions about where money goes and why, and in making sure decisions are communicated clearly, not buried in process. Families and taxpayers deserve to understand how choices get made, not just the final numbers.
Good fiscal management isn’t just about balancing a budget. It’s about ensuring we fund the things that matter most: strong programs, well-supported teachers, and the diverse student supports children need to succeed.
As school trustee, I am committed to transparency throughout the decision-making process and will advocate for dollars to reach students and classrooms first.
Supporting Every Student
Every learner deserves the resources and support they need to succeed, and this can look different for every child. Some students need extra support to keep up, others need to be challenged to keep growing, and many need varying support at different points along the way. I want to see SD43 continue investing in the staffing, specialists, and classroom supports that let teachers actually meet students where they are.
This means paying close attention to how resources are distributed across our schools, and making sure no student falls through the cracks because their needs don’t fit neatly into current classroom plans.
Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing World
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 quickly, and school programs need to keep pace.
Students need access to real experience and practical skills alongside their academic ones, things like expanded career and trades programs linked to real job opportunities, modern STEAM learning, and partnerships with post-secondary institutions that give students early exposure to future pathways. If we are going to set students up for success as young adults, we need to keep adapting as things continue to change. I want SD43 to be a district that looks ahead rather than one that plays catch-up, so students leave school genuinely ready for what comes next.
Protecting and Expanding Programs of Choice
Port Moody families choose our schools in part because of the range of learning options available, like French Immersion, Mandarin Bilingual, Montessori, and other programs that let students learn in ways that suit them best. These programs shouldn’t be treated as optional extras that get trimmed when budgets tighten or when district enrollment shrinks. I want to protect what’s working and look for sustainable ways to expand access, so more families have choice in how their children learn, including exploring outdoor and environmental learning options that connect classroom learning to hands-on stewardship, and making sure our athletics programs are strengthened and made accessible to every student who wants to play.