In addition to the mayoral candidates and the aldermanic candidates running in this year’s municipal election, did you know that citizens also vote for trustees for both the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD)? Each school board trustee is responsible for two wards, so seven trustees are elected for the CBE and seven trustees are elected for the CCSD. According to the CCSD’s website, “School trustees act as advocates to ensure students receive the best possible educational opportunities. Trustees must be prepared to put the needs of students first. They must also be willing to act in the best interests of all district schools and students, and not focus their efforts on a particular issue or school.”
With that said, it’s important for us all to be informed about our school board trustees as well. Take a look at Calgary Democracy’s site to find an up-to-date list of all of the potential school board trustee candidates. And contact them if you have questions, you want more information or want to hear about their platforms.
Another awesome way to get informed is to attend an event called Vote for Education. A couple of great organizations, the Coalition for Equal Access to Education and the Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary CARE Strategy, are holding an event on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 6 – 8 p.m. School board trustee candidates have been invited to share their vision for the future of education in Calgary and they want youth and their families to attend to have their say in issues such as cultural diversity in schools, support for immigrant and refugee students/families, and effective English language learning.  The event is at the Centre for Newcomers, #125, 920-36 St. NE. Please RSVP by September 17th. If you would like more information please call Lianne Lee at 403-263-1881 or email her at care@iscc-calgary.ca.
