Marisa Sterling

Trustees, the Board, and the Province

On Day 1, my priority will be to return the voice of parents and families in school decisions: 1) connect the 55 parent councils, 2) outreach to all families of the 25,000 students in our amalgamated ward through surveys/townhalls, and 3) attract media attention on the needs of our schools and the return of democracy, transparency and accountability of the TDSB. I know how to get this done with my 10 years of experience as a board governor and chair, and my 9 years as a senior university leader advocating for student access and inclusions.

Bullying in Schools

Bullying and discrimination have no place in our schools. I support strong education, starting early, as the best way to build caring students and families who understand and accept differences, balanced with clear and consistent discipline and accountability. Discipline alone does not address the underlying causes, and suspensions have an outsized negative impact on student outcomes. I support layering in local, culturally relevant context, mental health supports and improved community engagement and education.

Class Sizes and Staffing

I would advocate for the return of class size limits for Grades 4-8, a practice eliminated by the Ontario government last year. I would also advocate to halt the downloading of central TDSB staff work to local teachers, EAs and principals, allowing them to spend more time with students. I would prioritize increasing school level staffing and building existing staff capacity, using best practices and evidence-based approaches, to meet the needs of students. And I would support improved enrollment projections to bring more classroom stability.

Special Programs and Program Access

“The basics” is not what families want for their kids. The public education system must offer both enrichment programming such as languages and the arts, and accommodations such as special education. Rather than dictate what the application process should be, I would empower staff to develop an equitable, program-specific process while expanding local school programming so that more students can realize their potential at their home schools. I support early intervention and aligning teacher credentials to specialized programs.