Candidates address issues in Ward 3 byelection

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This article was published 28/02/2020 (2273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the byelection for Ward 3 of the Winnipeg School Division coming up later this month, the three candidates for trustee are working to motivate voters on issues facing education today. 

The WSD has a proposed budget of $420 million, and operates 78 schools with 33,000 students and 6,000 teachers.

The upcoming provincial education review, to be released in March, has hinted at budget cuts, cuts to administrations and also amalgamation of school boards. 

Ward 3 schools include: Carpathia, Earl Grey, Gladstone, Grosvenor, Kelvin, LaVérendrye, Queenston, River Heights and Robert H. Smith.

The byelection takes place on March 21, with advance polls on March 14, 16 and 17. 

See https://winnipeg.ca/clerks/election/byelection2020/default.stm for more information, including local polling stations and voter eligibility.

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Ben Carr

Maintaining a strong, local voice and local choice on the Winnipeg School Division is top of mind for candidate Ben Carr, along with promoting innovation and creativity in schools. 

Carr, 33, is the principal at the Maples Met School in the Seven Oaks School Division, and previously taught at Robert H. Smith and Kelvin High. Well-known in the community and a former head coach of the football team at Kelvin, Carr has been involved in politics since he was president of the student council at Kelvin. 

“Born and raised in River Heights, I’ve spent the majority of my adult life working in the schools in our community,” Carr said. “As the principal of an innovative school, I’m in a position to advocate for the type of change that could be a benefit to our families. I’ve gained insight into the challenges students and families face and the issues that are important.”

He hopes to bring a conversation to the school board about how innovation can improve the experience of students and teachers. 

“The school system is rooted in the 1850s factories mode, which focused on turning out worker bees. The fact is that the economy has changed. Society has changed,” he said. “The way people learn hasn’t changed fundamentally, but we need people who understand and come from examples of schools rooted in creative ways to teach.”

There are too many layers of bureaucracy in the Winnipeg School Division that have to be navigated before ideas that will bring about positive changes can be heard, he said.

He’s also concerned about a provincial move toward standardization of tests, thanks to low scores on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests in the province. 

“We need to better understand the problems kids are bringing to school that are preventing them from engaging in the first place. I am concerned about a potential move toward further standardized testing,” Carr said. “We cannot continue to measure intelligence through limited mediums.”

Carr believes school trustees are valuable, especially their ability to give a voice to parents and students.

“If you have an issue that needs to be addressed, you want to be able to call a local representative who knows your school, the cultural fabric of your community, and who can take the time to sit down and work through problems. You don’t want to be navigating a complex bureaucracy of department officials who don’t have an understanding of those local issues and angles.”

Ben Carr online: www.bencarr.ca

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Kathy Heppner

Those who work in education are expecting big changes when the province releases its education review in March. 

That’s something that Kathy Heppner, 41, is immersed in. As a teacher who has been working since 2000 in three Manitoba school divisions, she’s seen the effect budget cuts have on classrooms, teachers, students and their families.

“Teachers are anxious. Parents are anxious,” she said, adding she currently teaches at an independent school in Winnipeg. “I have a desire to see the division to be more responsive to teachers and students in this, and to empower the administration and to be an advocate on behalf of the school division to the provincial government.”

Heppner recognizes the importance of language programs and diversity in education due to her experience with international community development. She is a co-founder of the WSD Spanish bilingual program established in 2016 at Earl Grey School, the first of its kind in Manitoba. 

“Over the three-and-a-half years we worked on the campaign, we made presentations to the province, to education ministers, to school divisions, and quickly found that we needed to have clear, direct presentations that laid out all aspects of the program we wanted to see. It also helps to have the perspective of an educator in that I understand what school boards are looking for in new programming,” she said.

She is also the chair of the Earl Grey Parent Advisory Council and has previously served as vice-chair of the Dante Day Nursery board of directors. 

She has worked as a teacher in three school divisions, including Winnipeg School Division, as well as teaching internationally, which gives her a broad range of experience in different classroom settings.

“I’ve been speaking with parents of special needs students, who are worried about cuts to supports,” she said. “We need to support the teachers in their classrooms, which will go a long way to relieving the worries of parents of all children, including those with special needs children. It also includes making stronger connections to parents who may feel like they are the lone advocate for their child.”

Heppner holds degrees in education and human resource management and is working on a master’s of inclusive education. 

“I have kids in the schools in Ward 3. I know the issues the schools are facing,” she said. “This gives me a personal interest in what’s going to happen in the school division, as well as a strong motivation to speak on behalf of all others who live in the ward and go to school here.”

Kathy Heppner online: www.kathyheppner.ca

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Lyle Morin

A rational, level-headed approach is needed in Ward 3 and the school division overall, according to Lyle Morin, given the budgetary and program changes that are coming down the pipe.

“The budget is being affected, the administration, the teachers, the students will all be affected by change, which includes a 15 per cent cut in management,” he said. “I want to see as little impact as possible on divisional operations.”

Morin, 44, credits his experience as manager of grounds/general services with the physical plant at the University of Manitoba for giving him a broad-ranging experience in a large organization with a big budget, meeting the needs of students and also a good grounding in departmental politics. 

“I’ve learned to know my audience and work within a budget,” he said. “Like in the school division, we’ve seen cutbacks to our budgets, and have had to make the case for additional funding for services we just couldn’t cut. That will translate well to working with the school division’s administration and its budget. You have to make a good sales pitch to make sure you’re getting the most for your dollar.”

Along with concerns over the provincial school review and its potential cuts to administration, teaching staff and class sizes, Morin says one area he’s campaigning on is the area of mental health. 

“Mental health among students is one area which could be improved. Programs could be developed to the point where students are able to deal with the anxiety and stress that comes with going to school and taking tests and exams, and dealing with bullying,” he said. “This also goes for teachers and administrators dealing with the same mental health issues.”

Morin said he would bring an open mind to the school board, and the energy and knowledge to make improvements. He’ll be going door-to-door, speaking with people in the community in the run up to the byelection.

“By not directly being involved in education, I don’t have any biases. I would be able to hear the whole problem and the concerns of all involved, and be able to formulate sound decisions. I can step back and analyze everything. We can become more efficient, especially when it comes to budget cutbacks.”

Morin and his wife Sandra reside in Ward 3, where they have raised their four children, including the youngest in Grade 7. “When meeting with parent councils, I bring my experience with my children in the school system,” he said.

Lyle Morin online: www.facebook.com/lyle.morin.167