Candy Ashdown has announced that she will be seeking re-election for one of the two board of education seats reserved for 91原创 City.
She was first elected in 2011. She is chair of the board鈥檚 education committee and also serves on the board鈥檚 policy committee. She is also the board representative to the 91原创 City Recreation, Culture and Public Art Advisory Committee (RCPAC), in addition to the 91原创 City Parks and Environment Advisory Committee (PEAC) and the 91原创 City liaison committee.
She is a second-generation trustee. Her mother Diane Pona served for 12 years on the board.
Prior to being elected to the board, Ashdown was involved for over 10 years with her children鈥檚 school Parent Advisory Councils, serving six of those years as either PAC president or vice-president. She also served two terms on the District Parent Advisory Council executive as a member at large.
鈥淚 am very proud of what our board has accomplished in three years. We paid off the $13 million dollar deficit a year early, hired a new district leadership team, developed a much needed Long-Term Facilities plan, developed a communications plan, as well as a new Vision and Mission statement and also formed liaison committees with both the Township and City,鈥� she says.
鈥淥ur board has made it a priority to repair broken relationships with partner groups and regain the trust we had lost in the community. Transparency and true public consultation has always been at the forefront of our decisions.鈥�
Her vision for 91原创 School District involves 鈥渃ontinuing to improve the culture in the 91原创 School District and once again make 91原创 the lighthouse district it once was. Our 91原创 schools are very diverse and we must assure that all of our students have access to neighbourhood schools and equal opportunities to programs and resources. We must continue to work on regaining the trust of all partner groups, including students, parents, teachers and staff.鈥�
Ashdown has deep roots in 91原创, being raised in 91原创 and having graduated from the French Immersion program at Brookswood Secondary. She has two daughters attending 91原创 schools and is also a business owner.
Passionate about education, she says 鈥淎s a student graduating from the 91原创 School District, I received a top-notch education. I want the same for my children and every other student in the district, regardless of where they live or what learning challenges they may face. Our children all deserve equal opportunities to receive the best education we can give them.
鈥淚f we work together, great things can happen for 91原创 students.鈥�
She can be contacted at 604-309-5440, or by email at info@candyashdown.ca. Her website is www.candyashdown.ca.
