October 7, 2024
In advance of a four-seat school trustee by-election on October 30 in the Mountain View School Division, The Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS), has purchased space in the Dauphin Herald and neighbouring newspapers up until October 29. A new message will run each week. This is the second installment of four.
“Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it.”
The words of The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, then Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, echo across Canada as powerfully today as they did when he first spoke them.
It is our responsibility, our commitment to young people that remind us of Justice Sinclair’s words, especially now in Mountain View School Division.
On October 30, the community will elect four new school trustees. It is a powerful opportunity to shape the character of the school board, which in turn shapes the character and quality of education delivered to Mountain View students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The by-election will also shape the environments in which education is delivered, contributing to each child’s feelings of belonging, value, and safety.
Over the next few weeks voters will have the opportunity to ask questions, not only of candidates, but of themselves, too. This self-reflection is crucial, because it’s hard to make sense of what a candidate stands for if we don’t first know what we stand for ourselves. That initial step towards the ballot box requires serious, critical thought.
We encourage you in the coming weeks to engage with your candidates, read media coverage of the election campaign and discuss the issues with your friends, family and neighbors—and your kids, too.
When candidates ask for your support, ask them what they will do to ensure that every student in Mountain View—from the day they first walk through their school doors to the day they graduate in a cap and gown—is ready to make their dreams a reality, and their community a better place.
On October 30, the choice is yours.
President, Manitoba Teachers’ Society