Mandi Skogen

Acclaimed Candidate Comments

This election, in other wards, looks a little different than the ones I’ve been part of in my past two terms as I haven’t seen an election and this is my third acclamation. It’s very exciting to see people getting engaged in school board elections and I’m looking forward to continuing to build on the work of the previous boards as well as looking towards possible new thoughts and ideas that will come forward.

Unfortunately these past couple years have been very different and difficult compared to my previous years work considering we have to look at everything through this new Covid lens while not forgetting the education policy foundation.

I think for the new term we need to strongly advocate for stable and sustainable funding and work on empowering parents, staff and community to understand the importance their own voices carry when they advocate alongside the board. We need to remember that transportation and programs such as preschool and out of school care are very important pieces of the whole puzzle. Adequate funding for smaller class sizes and vulnerable student supports are important to the foundation of learning.

Unfortunately due to Covid trustees have not been able to be in the schools like we were in the past and I feel this has made getting feedback from teachers and support staff more difficult, and believe the work of our TBLC and Support Staff Liaison Committee will be of utmost importance to receive the feedback to know how we can best serve them. In the past I put forward a motion to have AED’s installed in our schools, and believe safety of staff and students is crucial. It’s not just about physical safety but that of emotional and mental health safety as well. I hope to continue to push for the endurance of accountability to policy being maintained.

I am by no means an education specialist. I make decisions based on all feedback I get and defer to experts in specific fields when necessary. I have resoundingly heard from educators the discontentment of the draft curriculum and will continue to stand behind them and the board’s position regarding their concerns. The regression of the curriculum in regards to the calls to action through Truth and Reconciliation are concerning. Although the government has not acknowledged these concerns in a way I feel is appropriate, as a local trustee I plan to carry on with support of FNMI language programs as well as support strategies to eliminate education gaps and continue to seek opportunities to meet with our local FNMI leaders and elders for relationship building and sharing.

Overall I’m thankful for being able to resume putting children first and working toward the betterment of all our staff. Thank you for your work to help keep voters informed.

Sincerely,

Mandi Skogen

Trustee, Ward 2