The following is a letter written by Laurie French, Limestone District School Board Trustee from 1999-2022
For the last 23 years when my children started school, I have had the privilege of representing Greater Napanee on the Limestone District School Board as Trustee. I played an active role to ensure that our Town was represented at the larger KFL&A region, and went on to bring the needs of communities like ours to the provincial and then the national level as president of the Ontario and the Canadian School Boards Associations. After accepting a new role earlier this year that will allow me to contribute to the community in new ways, I decided it was time to retire from elected life. I remember my children pitching in during my first and subsequent campaigns, and my son’s kindergarten drawing of ‘vote for Laurie French’ – like me, they too are proud NDSS graduates. It is our families who sacrifice as much as we do in service of our community, and I thank them for their support and patience. I can’t believe 23 years have passed since 1999 when I was approached to consider running for Trustee as Parent Council Chair at TPCS after the former L&A County and Frontenac County Boards of Education amalgamated during the last three-year municipal term. I served on the committee that named the new board ‘Limestone District’ and I remember the logo selection, now since changed.
It is a privilege to represent one’s community, and after six terms, some by election, and some by acclamation, I take immense pride in this role. I hope future boards do not forget or misrepresent the intended governor role that is rarely understood fully until one is in it – it is not municipal council, nor is it the opposition of the government of the day – it has different duties and responsibilities unique in the Education Act specifically supporting public education and society’s children.
Over the years I recall many decisions of the board. Certainly the greatest controversies were school accommodation reviews, most, although not all, of which ended in closures and consolidations that provided for amazing new schools and learning environments for students. While we would all wish to have local schools available in all communities, children don’t live in the same places they did decades ago, nor do they need the same kinds of learning spaces in the current world, and we are simply not funded in such a way that we can dilute resources or renovate spaces beyond their functional life, and so the desire to provide the very best learning environment prevailed through controversy. I will be forever proud of the new school in Napanee, Southview Public School, fully recognizing and respecting it meant great change for students as two schools closed to achieve it, and it was not the preferred outcome at the time for everyone. I was so pleased to attend their graduation this June to see the first Kindergarten group to enter at Southview after it opened, now graduate from Grade 8.
I was able to visit all 65 schools in the board, attending countless school celebrations, open houses, and graduations having the honour of bringing greetings and expressing at the microphone the pride that I know all families and staff in attendance were feeling. It was emotional to see the mortar boards tossed at my 23rd NDSS graduation this year – including my own, as well as my own children.
As Trustee I always felt a part of something important, connected to an outstanding team of staff delivering quality education to our children. Limestone is so often recognized provincially as a leading board of choice – from new and effective learning strategies, to award-winning Communications staff over the years, innovative facility services staff, endlessly patient IT staff, and incredibly dedicated Principals, VPs, and countless educators and support staff, all who make Limestone what it is. I thank them all for their incredible devotion to our children. The team has included 5 outstanding Directors of Education – first Barry O’Connor, Ron Sharp, Brenda Hunter, Deb Rantz, and now Krishna Burra. We are so fortunate in the Leadership of this board. They know best what the system needs and it behooves board members to listen to their advice for Trustees to have the greatest impact.
I’ve counted 23 individual Trustees with whom I served, several who will be life-long friends. To be elected by your peers to lead is a huge honour – I was privileged to serve four terms as chair of the board, multiple terms as vice chair, and as our boards rep at our provincial association, I was proud to serve two terms as president of the OPSBA, finishing my time with four terms as president of the CSBA. I’ve seen the introduction of a new strategic plan process for the board, the introduction of Student Trustees, three governance and policy reviews, Community members added to our Audit Committee, a strong Equity Action Plan that continues to evolve, an Indigenous Student Trustee, and now an additional voting Indigenous Trustee. It will challenge us all to continue the hard work to ensure our schools are truly inclusive and welcoming to all and work as Allies, with education leading the way in society. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Please use it wisely. This election barely mentioned our new Trustee Tiffany Lloyd, but I wish the new board great success and understanding of the scope of the role and know that I will be supporting from behind.
Laurie French, Greater Napanee Mom, Grandparent, and Past Trustee 1999-2022