Candidate for a Position with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board

Editor’s Note: All the candidates for school board trustee have been invited to provide an 800-word media release and photo.

This is a statement from Jamie Manton-Byers is who a candidate for English Public School Board Trustee with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

“Our Students Deserve Academic Recovery.”
• -Over 20 years experience volunteering with local schools
• -Fresh Perspective
• -Forward Thinking
• -Solution Seeker

As a mother of two, both of which graduated from KPRDSB. I wanted to be involved with my daughters’ education. During the past 20 years, I have volunteered at their schools doing everything from fundraising, organizing events, parent council as both a Director and Chair. While on parent council, I started one of the first breakfast programs before provincial funding was available. I saw a need and came up with a solution.

I’ve served on parent council with many wonderful parents, grandparents, and teachers, where we celebrated milestones as a community. Together, we experienced low enrollment issues, fought school closure, and interacted with all levels of government to better understand decisions made.

We need to look at all schools and balance enrollment, by thinking creatively. This would help to offer fair programing across our district. We also need to help all staff and students who have been working with limited resources through an exceedingly difficult past couple of years.

As your trustee, I want to improve communication between parents/guardians and the school board – your trustees’ job is, as an elected position, (much like your mayor, councillors and MPP), to listen and advocate on behalf of our students, families, and communities. To work together as a board to improve our local education system for all.

This is the time to be proactive instead of reactive when it come to our children’s education. We need to reach out to our governments both municipal and provincial to see how they can support us. For the past 15 years, I have been the Manager of the Port Hope Business Improvement Area, and have worked along side all levels of government, which has provided the knowledge and understanding of policy making and the processes.

For all our students to succeed, from junior kindergarten through to graduation, they need the support of their families, peers, staff, as well as the school board and our communities. It does take a village and with your support, we will be able to give our students what they seek, a safe engaging and fun environment where they can enjoy not just education, but a social environment.
I will work hard; I will listen; and I will advocate for all students in the Alnwick/Haldimand, Hamilton Townships, the Town of Cobourg, and Municipalities of Port Hope and Trent Hills. We need to ensure that all students have the resources in place so they can excel and achieve their level of excellence.

Together we will make changes for every student. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084007898288″

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