Candidate for School Board Trustee

Jennifer Webster

Toronto District School Board Ward 3

Candidate details

Issue answers

What's the most important thing you'd act on as a school board trustee, and what experience or strengths would help you make it happen?

I have 19 years and counting as a parent within the board and believe there are so many things that need to be prioritized these days in our current school system. Making promises that I can’t keep because of the board supervision is unfair to the community members. My top three priorities: focus on restoring and enhancing funding to model schools, work towards providing safe schools for all, and return outdoor education/field trips for all students.

Bullying in Schools

Bullying and discrimination are concerns raised in many school communities. What role do you believe a School Board Trustee should play in addressing these issues, and what actions would you support?

It’s naive of me as a white potential trustee to say I have any definitive answers to this question. The TDSB is currently being bullied by the provincial government. Discrimination is built into the school system, and recognizing that can help us set up better systems to help students. Bare minimum schools and school councils should be given resources to host anti-racism training, conflict resolution training and bystander intervention training on a yearly basis for all their communities. There is no quick fix solution to this question.

Class Sizes and Staffing

Some school communities have raised concerns about teacher and educational-assistant (EA) staffing levels and class sizes. What role would you take as a School Board Trustee in addressing these concerns, and what would your priorities be?

Enrolment is consistently changing within the board. Classes need size caps and more staff. The way that multiple governments have understaffed the TDSB for years needs to stop. There has to be a way to prioritize staff within the board, and that includes unionized staff. I would prioritize reinstating class size caps for all grades.

Special Programs and Program Access

School boards make decisions about the range and distribution of specialized programs, including special education, language programs, and arts programming. What would you prioritize as a School Board Trustee in how these programs are offered and accessed?

As a trustee I would prioritize more access to specialized programs like special education, language programs, arts, stem and other programs. The more choices we can offer our children the more doors open for their futures. I can feel the eye-rolling as people read this, but prioritizing a robust public education system, that creates well educated citizens provides a huge boost to the economic state of the province for the future.

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