A former educator has entered the St. Albert Public Schools trustee race.
Glenys Edwards, 64, taught high school for almost 20 years, was principal at Leo Nickerson Elementary School for 10 and then served as an associate superintendent in the district. She’s lived in St. Albert with her husband for nearly 40 years, putting three children through the school system.
“I am interested in getting involved in the community,” she said.
Edwards retired in January and when she considered how she’d like to serve the community, something with an educational bent seemed like a good fit.
“I decided that really what I am most passionate about, and kind of feel most knowledgeable about, is the educational landscape,” she said.
If elected, Edwards is hoping to continue with what she says is the board’s well-known good work.
“St. Albert is very well known in the province for having a very good board, a very supportive board, a very effective board,” she said.
For her, making sure public education is supported is a main issue.
“Ensuring at a public level there is a strong voice to the need for public education to be funded and supported,” she said.
While the new school coming to the district is great news, she said in general there are lots of infrastructure needs.
“I think our infrastructure needs in St. Albert Public Schools are important,” she said.
The current board has excellent relations with both relevant unions, and Edwards would like to continue to support strong labour relations, she said.
“I think there’s a role for the province in labour relations but I also support local bargaining. I think that local bargaining is the best way for districts to know what their employees need and want and know what the needs of the community are,” she said.
Edwards would like the board, if she’s elected, to stay focused on the local needs of the schools.
“To hear the voices of parents and students and the public, to listen to those voices, to ensure that the local values and local voices are involved in setting direction,” she said.
Like city council, the trustee terms will now be four years instead of three. That’s a change Edwards is looking forward to if she becomes a trustee.
“I think the four-year term offers trustees in their first term a chance to really get to know the role, get to work together as a board and then have time to really get work done,” she said.
Overall, Edwards sees public education’s main purpose as creating contributing citizens.
“I think boards play a role in ensuring that public education takes on that responsibility,” she said.
