Winnipeg Election 2022

Holly Hunter - St. James - Assiniboia - East Ward

What got you into politics?

I did not put my name on the ballot to become a school trustee because I aspired to leadership; I was just acting on what I believed was right. In the four years I spent teaching just beyond the ‘imagined boundary’ of Winnipeg’s North End it became self-evident that our public education system is far from equitable. While academia stresses the necessity of objective facts and figures I contend we as humans are wired to feel things for people, not for numbers. It was not abstract data or statistic that spurred me to act. No, it was children, children with names and stories; that is what inspired me to do something about the inequality that is deeply rooted in Manitoba’s public education system. Maybe how I got into politics was naïve, but in  my time on the Board I have become an tenacious advocate for the kids that need someone to fight for them; something I promise to continue if re-elected.

 

 

What experience will you bring to compliment your role as (Mayor / Councillor / School Trustee)?

(1) I am a lifelong resident of St. James and attended Stevenson, George Waters Middle School, and St. James Collegiate

(2) I have spent the past nine years working as a teacher in Seven Oaks School Division

(3) I completed a Master of Education in 2019 and a Master of Public Administration in 2021

(4) I am an experienced trustee

The next board has a lot of work to do: hiring a superintendent and creating a multi-year strategic plan. I believe having a deep understanding of  St. James-Assiniboia School Division’s schools and governance model, Manitoba’s K12 public education system, as well as public policy, will help the Board continue to move forward in fulfilling its aim to make our schools great places for learning and growing.

 

 

What are some issues that you would like to stand for in your role as (Mayor / Councillor / School Trustee), and why are these issues important to you?

(1) Increasing early reading , writing, and math intervention

• Too many kids are struggling. As a trustee, I have been a vocal advocate for making anonymized and disaggregated student achievement data available to the Board so we can craft evidence informed policy  and allocate resources to ensure every child in SJASD has the literacy and numeracy skills they will need to become productive members of society.

(2) Working towards authentic and meaningful reconciliation

• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has called on the education system to improve “education attainment levels and success rates” as well as to “close identified educational achievement gaps.” I wrote the Indigenous Advisory Council policy, and put forward a Request for Action the Manitoba School Board Association to research options to increase Indigenous representation on school boards because I recognize the way forward is to hear from Indigenous people directly.
  

(3) Engaging our community in the decision-making process

• School Boards are not corporate boards. Trustees are elected by the community and are answerable to them. During my term I put forward a motion to bring the community into the budgeting process, and created a community survey completed by 200+ residence; this is work I hope to continue.

 

Do you have any other comments regarding your candidacy?

During my time term I have NOT been an armchair board member passively rubber stamping motions before us. I have…

(1) Put forward new business motion and engaged in debate

• Initiated Outdoor School: Summer Edition Pilot project Budget Recommendation
• Initiated After School Drop in Pilot Budget Recommendation
• Initiated Budget Recommendation to fund Elders in our schools
• Supported the Bike Program Budget Recommendation
• Supported accommodating students during the French Immersion Early Years Reorganization
• Initiated a evaluation of the SRO program
• Initiated renaming the marketing committee the Community Engagement committee and giving it an updated mandate

(2) Attended community events

• Holiday concerts at Stevenson, Brooklands, Linwood, George Waters, and St. James Collegiate
• Parent council meetings at Strathmillan, Stevenson, Brooklands, Linwood, Assiniboine, and George Waters
• Brookland’s #SaveEldonRossPool forum
• Read to classes during I Love to Read Month
• SJASD’s Grad Pow Wow & St. James Collegiate’s convocations
• SJASD’s first Tour de Trustee
• Toured Discovery Child Care facility, met the board and attended the Family BBQ

(3) Participated in professional development

• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Conference
• Manitoba School Board Association Conferences
• Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education