Winnipeg Election 2022

Luanne Karn - Winnipeg - 6

What got you into politics?

I have always been involved in community-based, grass-roots organizing in my community. Before I became a teacher, I helped establish community-based schools for adults (experiencing barriers to education and complex generational poverty).

I was a board member and staff member for several community groups including: Advocates for Community Based Training/Education for Women (ACTEW) and Education Wife Assault. I was a staff member for education and employment programs such as: Opportunity for Advancement, Working Skills for Women, and the National Labour Force Development Board in Canada.

Working in adult education inspired me to complete my education degree, and I have specialized for the past 18 years in supporting students with disabilities in our public school system as a resource teacher at the high school and middle school levels.

I co-founded Parents for Public Education MB during the global pandemic in response to our provincial government’s attempt to eliminate all school boards in Manitoba in 2020 and 2021. This grassroots advocacy group included thousands of other parents (and teachers and community members) in Manitoba. I organized community based political campaigns for safer schools during the pandemic, and to defeat Bill 64 in Manitoba.

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

I have lived in the west end of Winnipeg for over 15 years and I am the parent of a 10-year old daughter attending school in the Winnipeg School Division.

I have worked in public education for over 20 years (in both Winnipeg and Ontario). This has given me a deep understanding of the complex issues that students, families, and school staff face in our K-12 public school system.

I have both an understanding of the day-to-day workings of schools as well as training and knowledge about educational theories and legislation. I have my Master of Education from the University of Manitoba (in the Social Foundations of Education – studying equity and issues of poverty and discrimination facing students in our public schools).

I also work as a part-time instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg, where I have taught courses about Poverty in our Schools, and Inclusive Education. I work full time in the River East Transcona School Division as a teacher of youth, adults, students with disabilities, Indigenous students and their families. These experiences make me the most qualified candidate for school trustee in Ward 6 of the WSD.

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?

• Increased funding and more stable funding for our K-12 public school system.
• Increasing the graduation rates of Indigenous youth by improving community-school partnerships in our local communities to improve access to education.
• More representation and hiring of Indigenous, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ and disabled teachers in our public schools to ensure that the demographic of teaching staff more accurately reflects the demographics of our communities.
• Support for libraries and librarians in all WSD schools.
• Better funding and access to breakfast and lunch programs.
• Improving before and after school childcare in our local elementary schools.
• Improving before and after school activities for our youth in schools (connected to local community organizations) to support families with lack of access to extracurriculars.
• These are some of the priority issues that I would stand for as school trustee in Winnipeg and in the WSD to improve educational outcomes for our students from K-12.

 

Do you have any other comments regarding your candidacy?

Public schools are the heart of our communities. The education of our children and youth is essential to building an equitable and just society. Public school trustees represent their local communities and ensure that the goals of a high quality public education system is accessible to all children and families. Our school boards need qualified and experienced individuals to guide our vision of public education as well to insure transparency and accountability about overall educational programming within each local school division.