Karen Emerson

Trustees, the Board, and the Province

TDSB schools are in a crisis from decades of underfunding. As a long time advocate for Public Education I believe that students require a safe, inclusive public education, regardless of postal code, identity, ability, family income. As a Trustee I will fight for: fully funded education; funding to address the school infrastructure crisis; safe and Inclusive schools; to strengthen special education; smaller class sizes; the restoration of the democratically elected Trustee powers.

Bullying in Schools

To reduce bullying and discrimination we need to properly fund school boards to staff for inclusion, keep class sizes small, and have enough staff and resources to meet the complex needs of students. The role of the Trustee is to support parents to navigate the system to find the resources they need, and to vote to ensure these resources are available. Sadly, Bill 101 has removed the democratically elected power of Trustees to vote for what their constituents need, and has reduced the number of Trustees who can support the needs of students.

Class Sizes and Staffing

As a parent and advocate for education, I am extremely concerned that the Provincially-Appointed Supervisor has chosen to overturn decisions made about TDSB school class sizes set out by our democratically elected trustees in March 2025. These decisions about class sizes were evidence-informed and based on years of research and input from teachers and students. As a Trustee I will work with parents, teachers, and the community to ensure that decisions regarding students and teachers made by the Board are evidence informed.

Special Programs and Program Access

School boards are being asked to meet increasingly complex student needs with inadequate resources. Trustees must protect what is essential, make access more equitable, and include families in decisions being made. Special education has to be a priority. These supports are not optional, they are what makes it possible for many students to learn and participate. Long waits for assessments, insufficient educational assistants and supports, and families having to fight for services are signs of a system that is not serving our children.