I’m a parent of two disabled EPSB students and a passionate advocate for public education. I co-founded Hold My Hand Alberta, an organization dedicated to advancing equity in education for disabled and learning-diverse students across the province. Through this work, I’ve helped unite families, educators, and policymakers to push for critical changes in our education system, including fighting cuts to Program Unit Funding, repeated calls for an updated Standards for Special Education, and holding the division accountable to rising seclusion room use. I’ve also worked with the Edmonton Public School Advocacy Network (EPSAN), helping families decode complex school policies and reports and stand up for public education. Now, I’m running for school board trustee in EPSB Ward E to bring my grassroots experience and community advocacy work to the decision-making table, ensuring that every student receives the support and resources they deserve. I’m known for my community-focused, adaptive thinking that pushes beyond standard solutions. This perspective is critical to creating meaningful change within our education system. I’m not afraid to speak out, stand firm under pressure, and champion what’s right.
Statement of beliefs
I believe that every child deserves equal access to a high-quality education that meets their individual needs. Public education must be inclusive, adaptive, and properly funded to support all students, including those who are disabled or learning-diverse.I am committed to building a more equitable and accessible education system by grounding decisions in lived experience, data, and expert input. I also believe in the power of community collaboration and that together, we can create solutions that go beyond standard approaches.
Priority areas
Protecting and defending public education.
Increasing classroom support and working towards true inclusion.
Focus on student mental health, well being, belonging, and school culture.
Views on funding
Education funding in Alberta is simply not adequate. We need to see more of our public tax dollars reinvested into public schools so that every child has access to the resources they need to succeed. Over the years of my advocacy work, I’ve learned how to decode board policies, reports, and budgets, but I know that most parents and community members struggle to understand how education funding works. As trustees, it’s our responsibility to ensure that families and the public have a clear understanding of our budgets, policies, and decision-making processes. Clear, accessible communication about budgets and policy empowers families to advocate alongside us for the funding schools need. This is how we ensure accountability and transparency, preventing any misinformation or attempts to shift blame during challenging times like strike actions. It’s essential that we hold the provincial government responsible for their commitments and ensure that staff are supported.
How learning conditions can be improved
Improving learning conditions starts with listening to those who know the classrooms best: teachers and students. They understand the unique challenges their classrooms face and can offer invaluable insights on what would help improve conditions and support student success. Their voices are vital in shaping policies that truly meet the needs of our school communities. When we act on feedback from teachers and students, the people closest to the classroom, we can create real, lasting improvements.
How trustees and school boards can best support teachers
Trustees can support teachers by listening, learning, and backing them. Our teachers are not only the backbone of our division, they’re our biggest experts on how Edmonton’s children learn and what they need. In situations like we face now where teachers are under attack by the government, we need to step up with support, data, and information to our families and students so that the public understands what our schools are facing. When boards and divisions back front line workers, unfair bargaining techniques like what’s happening now are unable to take hold of public opinion. Protecting our teachers from vilification is important to me. Taking teacher feedback on resource allocation and the systems of support within the division should be regular practice for trustees as well. Policy adjustments where necessary to align with this priority should be made.
Views on the new K-6 curriculum
Like many, I’m disappointed with the lack of public engagement and teacher involvement in creating the new curriculum. The lack of diverse perspective, and the authenticity of that voice is especially concerning. The criticism that the content isn’t age appropriate, lack of sequence and scope both within a year and year to year, as well the focus on memorization over critical thinking is a disservice to our youth. Much more work needs to be done. School board trustees can help by advocating for EPSB teachers to be brought to the table to consult on curriculum and pushing the government to provide resources or funding to develop our own resources. Tracking data on scoring and surveying our staff and students on the success of implementation will also be crucial to evaluating the curriculum rollout for the purposes of further advocacy.