WRDSB Trustees

I am very honoured to have been elected by my colleagues to serve as Chairperson of the Board. I am grateful for this leadership opportunity and I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees in support of quality public education and the Board’s Strategic Plan and Operational Goals. It was my pleasure to have worked for the WRDSB for 31 years retiring in November 2017. I was employed as a Secretary to the Superintendent of Schools, the Office Manager at Glenview Park Secondary School and finally as Manager of Corporate Services. I am proud to be the first support staff member to be elected as a WRDSB Trustee and now Chairperson of the Board.

One of my goals is to meet and visit students and staff in their schools and I hope to have the opportunity to visit all schools in Cambridge and North Dumfries.I will be using social media as a tool to communicate and update parents and the community and I look forward to hearing from you. Please follow me on Twitter @CambridgeJayne, on Facebook as Trustee Jayne Herring, or at the email and phone numbers provided above.

I am proud to serve the Woolwich and Wellesley communities as your trustee at the Waterloo Region District School Board. It is my belief that students in the WRDSB deserve the best education and experience we can possibly give them. We need to not only provide education in core subjects, but teach them to better understand the world around them. They deserve a safe and inclusive environment to learn, and access to every resource we can offer. As an active member of my children’s school council and regular classroom volunteer, I see teachers, staff and students working together. I see occasional struggles and I see inspiring moments. I’m both a fundraiser and volunteer for Kate’s Kause – a charitable organization committed to Angelman Syndrome awareness and inclusive community projects. I am the proud aunt of Kate, who inspires me with her strength, voice, and her focus on enjoying life -something we all could use more of. I’m a regular volunteer with The Business Education Partnership, KW Multicultural Centre and a member of Equal Voice Waterloo Region.

I’m a small business owner in Elmira where I live with my family. I work as a professional photographer and I photograph children and the people who love them. I also collaborate with small businesses to create photographs that connect with their customers. In my free time, I enjoy cycling, reading, and meeting & collaborating with new people. I love spending time with my husband and three children. We enjoy getting muddy on outdoor adventures, riding our bikes in the beautiful, rural communities of Woolwich and Wellesley, and watching movies together while cuddling in our pyjamas.

I am honoured to have been chosen by the voters of Waterloo and Wilmot Township to represent them on the Waterloo Region District School Board. I’m very excited about this new role.

I’m a proud graduate of both Eastwood Collegiate and Wilfrid Laurier University, the proud parent of two KCI graduates, and the proud step-parent of two current KCI students.

In my professional life, I manage a non-profit housing co-operative and also provide education to co-op Boards on sound management and governance. I’m a member of the National Board of Directors for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF) and have served as a volunteer facilitator with the Co-operative Young Leaders program (CYL).

I’m also a former:

• Chair of both the City of Waterloo’s Environmental Advisory Committee and the Waterloo Region Cycling Advisory Committee
• Member of both the Community Grants Review Committee and Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) for the City of Kitchener.
• President of the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA)
• Chair of the Board for the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (WLUSU)
• Minor soccer coach (for 14 years)
• Weekly columnist for The Waterloo Chronicle and other local papers

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ScottPiatkowski, on Facebook as Scott Piatkowski, WRDSB Trustee, or at the email and phone numbers provided above.

I am a passionate advocate for children and youth and for their parents. This is what brought me to my involvement with public education even before I was a trustee. We have a responsibility as a society to provide each student with an excellent education to assist them to be the best that they can be. Trustees are the local connection to speak up for the students in their community and challenge the provincial government to remember we are here for kids. We are fortunate to have outstanding and committed staff who provide quality education to our students. Our challenge is to make sure that we represent the community in which we live – we need to inspire entrepreneurship and innovation; be equitable and inclusionary in all that we do. We always have to strive to be better, do better so that we provide the very best education to each and every student.

I believe in servant leadership and doing my best to “treat others the way I would like to be treated”. I consistently bring constituents concerns forward at the board table. As an elected representative I believe that it is a privilege and an honour to serve constituents. I am a strong advocate of student, parent and staff involvement and engagement. I support the use of surveys, focus groups and participation on committees which contribute to meaningful discussion and input. I believe boards make better policy when students, parents and staff are involved in the decisions making process.

According to the Education Act the board is responsible for the academic performance and well-being of students. Ultimate success is demonstrated by students who achieve their full potential, students with disabilities are given the best support, parents are treated as partners and encouraged to participate in their child’s education, and staff that have been given adequate resources and feel supported. When these are in alignment and unified everyone is successful, and students realize their full potential.

Boards that are progressive generate new and creative ideas and solutions by demonstrating a culture of freedom. Freedom that allows the sharing of different ideas and opinions in a respectful manner, realizing that “everyone” plays a part and no contribution is insignificant.

I am honoured to be elected for a fifth term as Trustee for Waterloo/Wilmot. During my years on the Board, I have actively participated as a member of a variety of standing, statutory and ad hoc committees including strategic planning, audit, agenda development, superintendent selection, school year calendar and fiscal review task force. I have served as WRDSB chair, vice-chair and past chair. I believe in putting students first and ensuring that schools provide a safe, inclusive learning environment so students can achieve their full potential. As the WRDSB continues to implement the strategic plan, I look forward to engaging with stakeholders on issues that impact our students and school communities. I believe in a strong public education system that is the cornerstone of democracy. I have experienced an excellent public education system, starting in a one-room schoolhouse many years ago. My children have also experienced and benefited from a public education. It is exciting to watch my grandchildren as they experience their public education. As a trustee, having the opportunity to be involved in the ongoing success of kids in Waterloo Region and to celebrate their achievements in school and in life allows me to give back to my community.

I have lived in Waterloo Region since 1975, the last 30+ years in Westvale. I am a graduate of WLU (MSW 2003, BA 1978) and a Registered Social Worker. I am employed in the Community Services Department with the City of Kitchener. I am an associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 113, Dresden, an avid gardener, an ‘enthusiastic’ golfer, and a proud mother and grandmother.