Questions, answered

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No. There is too much money in politics already, and a school board race shouldn't need it. If you want to give, give to the Parent Advisory Council at your nearest school and tell them I sent you. Details on the Get Involved page.

No. I'm running as an independent. No party, no slate, no endorsements from elector organizations, and no donations. If that ever changes you'll read it here first.

Phones and smartwatches away from the first bell to the last, at every grade, with the same accommodations the current policy already makes for medical and accessibility needs. BC's 2024 rules require districts to restrict phones; SD61's policy leaves classroom use to teacher discretion and allows phones between classes. I want a clear district-wide standard so no individual teacher has to be the enforcer.

Because I know how these tools work. I'm optimistic about AI. I use it daily and have built AI models, tools, and features. It's incredibly exciting technology, it has a place, and I want it in educators' hands now to cut paperwork. But a student who can't yet write a paragraph or check an arithmetic answer has no way to tell when an AI is wrong, and without that it just helps you make mistakes faster. Fundamentals first, AI later, and only with evidence that it helps.

This debate has borrowed most of its heat from American politics, and our situation doesn't look like theirs. Community policing is a great way for students to get comfortable with police, understand the service they provide, and for police to help establish schools as safe places of education for all. The data backs this up. When SD61 surveyed the community in 2021, only 5% of the 3,815 respondents said their interactions with police liaison officers had been negative or very negative, and only 15% wanted the program to end. Also that was 2021 when police sentiment was at it's lowest due to international attention, looking at data from other jurisdictions there's credible reason to believe support is stronger today.

That said, police are usually the largest line item in a municipal budget. I'd rather see public money go to public health, arts, and recreation than to the consequences of crime and addiction. No organization asks for less. Tax dollars are finite, and we should expect value from every public service, this one included.

So in short: I support the police liaison program, but I insist it produce tangible results for the schools and the surrounding community alike.