Harvard Media News reached out to each candidate running for office to ask a set of questions on the office for which they are running. The following is our Q&A with Fort McMurray Public School Trustee Candidate, Tim O’Hara. All responses are from the candidate or their agent and are unedited by Harvard Media News.
Harvard: What do you see as the key issues facing students and teachers today?
There are many challenges facing education today. Some of the most urgent challenges include:
- Space: Educational spaces for all children in our growing communities. Fort McMurray has always had one of the highest birthrates in Alberta, but with the recent immigration into the province, some of our schools are starting to burst. We need new spaces; be it additional portables or new schools; and our existing schools require modernizations.
- Funding challenges: Stable, adequate and predictable funding to support all aspects of the school division, including labour settlements reached at the provincial bargaining table. School Divisions regularly struggle to find the funds to meet all the needs of our students.
- Mandate Creep: New responsibilities are continuously being downloaded by the Province onto School Divisions, their staff and teachers. Many of these responsibilities are outside of our areas of expertise and would be better suited being handled by other ministries.
- Local autonomy: The autonomy of school boards to make local decisions is slowly being eroded by the Provincial Government.
- Class size and complexity: Without additional funding (and additional spaces) the ability to hire more teachers or host more classrooms is increasingly difficult. Additionally, over the years, the level of complexity that exists amongst the children in the classrooms is also increasing.
I believe that Public Schools should be the first school in any community. Public schools are open to anyone and everyone, regardless of their backgrounds, ethnicities, beliefs, or socio-economic status. I believe that every student should feel safe and cared for as they walk through the doors of their school and they should feel that they are a part of the school community, in both their academics and within the social life of the school. Teachers and support staff should feel appreciated and encouraged in life-long learning to better themselves, and to support the children in their care. Students should be provided with the supports they require to ensure that they are learning and progressing, and being challenged in order to reach their full potential.
In order to achieve the above and respond to the challenges that I see, I believe that Public Schools should be fully funded by the Province before charter and private schools receive public dollars.
I also believe in what a colleague of mine once described as, a Ministry of the Child. Essentially, that is that we need cross-ministerial support to provide and properly fund wrap around services for our children. Over the years, mandate creep has meant additional responsibilities for schools, their staff and School Boards into areas that are not our expertise. These additional costs of implementing these responsibilities have also been downloaded to School Boards without the corresponding funding to offset those costs. School Divisions should not have to bear the full cost of providing these services, and other ministries are much better equipped as they have the field expertise. An example would be using AHS to assist in diagnosing and supporting students with learning disabilities. Our children should have access to the supports they require, and those supports should be provided through a team approach that involves multiple ministries.
Lastly, I believe in local representation and decision-making. I believe in the importance of locally-elected trustees, and the need for those trustees to be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of the students, staff and facilities under their purview, as well as in the interests of the local community.
If re-elected, I will continue to work on behalf of our students, staff and the community to advocate for:
1. Stable, adequate and predictable funding to support all aspects of the school division, including labour settlements that are reached at the provincial bargaining table.
2. Cross-ministerial support to provide and properly fund wrap around services for our children. Over the years, mandate creep has meant additional responsibilities, and their associated costs, for school boards, into areas that are not our expertise. School Divisions should not have to bear the full cost of providing these services, and other ministries are much better equipped as they have the field expertise. Our children should have access to the supports they require, and they should be provided through a team approach that involves multiple ministries.
I will be a voice for our strong public schools, fiscal responsibility, and doing what is best for our students.
Harvard: How familiar are you with the Alberta Education Act and the limitations placed on trustees?
I have served on the Board of the Fort McMurray Public School Division for the past 12 years. As such, I started my service as a Trustee under the School Act, and when the Education act was brought in, we sat through numerous sessions to learn about the differences between the two and to become more familiar with the Education Act. Though I do not claim to have it memorized or to even be able to quote any part of it, I carry a copy of it with me most of the time when out on Board business, and refer to it when necessary. As such, I would consider myself to be fairly familiar with it, and especially so with respect to the limitations that are placed on Trustees that one would not find with other levels of politics.
For instance, Trustees must abide by a code of conduct that is established by the Board. The code includes sanctions that can be applied against the individual in breach of the code. Additionally, Trustees are required to disclose any pecuniary interest and must avoid any conflicts of interest by leaving the boardroom if and when topics are being discussed for which the Trustee might be in conflict. Board decisions can also be reviewed by the Minister and the Minister, in their sole discretion, may overturn or uphold them, and Trustees and the Board must comply with all applicable legislation and regulations, including ministerial orders.
Lastly, and probably one of the least understood rules of being a Trustee, is that Trustees do not have individual authority; they make decisions collectively as a board, and once the board of trustees has voted, individual trustee members are bound by the majority decision, regardless of whether they supported it during debate or voted against it. They are required, by legislation, to uphold the implementation of resolutions passed by the board, and cannot speak against that decision once the decision is determined.
Harvard: What support will you offer the Superintendent in implementing the board’s strategic direction?
The relationship between the Board and its Superintendent is paramount. There needs to be a clear understanding by the Board and the Superintendent of which responsibilities reside with whom, and Trustees need to respect and remain out of the Superintendent’s sandbox, so to speak. When the roles are not clear and Trustees find themselves dealing with operational issues instead of governance roles, then the relationship between the two parties will suffer and the Board will not be able to provide support to the Superintendent, and it is likely that the Division will stary from the Board’s strategic direction.
So first and foremost, if re-elected, I will work to ensure that the new Board understands their role as governors and does not overstep into operations. We will hold the Superintendent accountable, and the Superintendent will keep the Board informed of any issues or concerns that might reach or impact the Board.
One of the main things that the current Board has done is to approve a Board of Trustees Strategic Plan for 2025 through 2029 which will serve as a guiding document for the new Board. The purpose of doing so was to provide clarity and direction for the Board, reflecting on our commitment to effective governance and student-centered leadership. If re-elected, I will continue the work of the previous Board to ensure that the Strategic Plan is front and center with the new Board, and reviewed at least annually to reflect any necessary changes. Having a clear strategic plan such as this, makes it easier for all to understand and follow.
Harvard: Do you have children in the system, and how have their experiences influenced your perspective?
I am a proud father to two young boys who are indeed attending a Fort McMurray Public Elementary School. My oldest is in grade four and my youngest in grade one. Both of my boys struggled in their first year in school, but the support that has been provided to both of them has been great and they now both love their teachers and going to school; that was definitely not the case for either of them in ECDP and Kindergarten! If anything, hearing from them now about their day at school reinforces why I want to continue in the role of Trustee. It shows me that the policies and decisions that we have made as a Board are indeed supporting the motto of doing what’s best for kids. The fact that I do have children in the system further helps me to always make every decision at the Board table through the lens of doing what is best for our children, the children of FMPSD; and that is one of my promises, that I will always vote on every decision through the lens of doing what is best for children.
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