Dianne Macaulay wants to return to the Red Deer Public District School board for a fourth term.
The 45-year-old mother of three has one son still in the Red Deer Public system. Two more have graduated.
She believes in the power of the local school boards and how they can impact students.
“Local decisions need to be made at the local level,” said Macaulay.
“That’s why I’m glad Red Deer Public has such a strong, positive voice when it comes to public education.”
With the province passing the Education Act, Macaulay said she wants to see how it is introduced.
“I would really love to see four years without negotiations being the main part of my job,” said Macaulay, referring to teachers union contract negotiations.
She touted the opening of a new school, the Ecole Berry Wilson Elementary now under construction in Timberlands, and how the alternative program, the Gateway School, is going to become one school again.
“Even though we are getting a new school, we still have some space issues,” said Macaulay.
“The government is encouraging school boards to reduce class sizes but when we don’t have the space, what do we do?”
She mentioned changing some school boundaries in cases where some schools are under capacity while a neighbouring school is over capacity.
“Or do we look at changing programs in those schools to accommodate those spaces?”
Macaulay is a director for zone four at the Alberta School Board Association. In that role, she goes to Edmonton and meets with people at the provincial level, discussing the issues of Central Alberta.
“Education is such a community issue,” said Macaulay.
“We all need to together and that is something I really look forward to this year, being a little more proactive because there are issues I think we are not addressing in a way that is helping the kids to the extent we could help them.”
Trustee candidates will be on the Oct. 21 municipal ballot along with city council and mayoral candidates.
Other Red Deer Public School candidates are Bill Christie, Shari Hanson, Kerri Kenworthy, Lianne Kruger, Dick Lemke, Bev Manning, Ben Ordman, Cathy Peacocke, Kurt Spady, Bill Stuebing, Jim Watters, Milt Williams and Raymond Yaworski.
mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com