Submitted by Trustee Samantha Haines
February 16, 2021
Becoming a trustee was a difficult choice for me. At the time, I did not know what a trustee was, let alone how to do it. It had some abstract ideas around it, things like keeping education public, or passing a budget and hiring a superintendent. I had no idea of what it really meant, nor did I know it would change me at the core of who I am. This is a collection of some lessons learned and reflections of my first term.
New relationships. The staff at SD46 are some of the most supportive and caring individuals I have ever met. They are such a wealth of information and they are happy to share it with you. They have taught me so much about how to create connections, building strength and resiliency in difficult times.
Becoming part of a board is a good thing. Boards tend to get a bad reputation, and school districts are often seen as hardened, or callus. The truth is that the Board of Trustees are an integral part of the education system. They are that voice that can have the ear of both the school, the superintendent and the Minister of Education. School boards do important work to support students in every pocket of the province.
The board members are my friends. Boards are elected as individuals. It is that individuality which makes it unique. Together we make decisions, and despite the fact that we may have different opinions or come from different walks of life, we are all there for a common purpose; the desire to create learning environments to support student success.
Nothing happens quickly. School districts and all government bodies move slowly. This is on purpose. Moving quickly activates the fight or flight response. It creates chaos, when you have too many moving pieces not knowing what is happening. We are tasked with looking at things from every angle, every opinion, then doing what we believe to be the best for the majority of students.
Decisions are not made in isolation. Big decisions are always made with consultation from many areas, but most notably, the teachers, the staff, the parents, the students and the community.
I am not an expert nor do I need to be. I do not need to know every line item in the budget, or even understand all the intricate layers that make up a school district to be an effective trustee. What I did need was an open mind, a moral compass and a desire to learn.
We are all on the same team. I had thought that perhaps school boards were there to keep superintendents from becoming power hungry, heartless individuals who were planning to destroy school districts. While this is an exaggeration, it is completely the opposite of what is true. In human biology, all of the systems work together to support one living body. In school districts the same holds true. The Superintendent is the brain, while the board is the spine. At the center of everything we do is the heart – the students, and the movement of blood, oxygen and immune cells are the incredible network of staff, teachers, EA’s, maintenance, and all the wonderful people who support the body to make it function. It is through working together that we can make changes, create new opportunities, and build a better education system.
This has challenged me. This for me may have been the most profound. This job has challenged me to create space for ideas that are not my own. It has challenged me to look at who I am at the core. It has forced me to evaluate who I want to be, how I want to live my life, and how I want to raise my children. It has taught me about compassion, kindness, acceptance and what it truly means to be a leader in the community.
