Incumbent Linda Wellman is running for re-election against challengers Pina Lamb, Addie Corah and Oscar Buera, with the municipal election set for Oct. 18.
CCSD has four schools in Airdrie – Good Shepherd School, Our Lady Queen of Peace School, St. Martin de Porres High School, and St. Veronica School.
“I bring 32 of years of trustee experience to the role, experience that will benefit the Board of Trustees, the Calgary Catholic School District, and Catholic education as a whole as we advocate for a well supported and resourced public education system that continues to provide families the choice of public, Francophone and Catholic education,” Wellman said, adding Catholic education is needed more today than ever in an increasingly secular society.
“Being faith-filled, and having my own children graduate from Calgary Catholic Schools, I can personally attest to the value of publicly funded Catholic Education,” she said.
Wellman said the most important issues she believes she can address as a trustee are keeping students and staff safe and schools open in the world of COVID-19; the lack of fairness of the new funding model using the weighted moving average; and the September 2022 implementation of a draft Kindergarten-to-Grade 6 curriculum that was rejected by 58 of 61 of Alberta’s school boards.
“Education is at a critical time, we have been working through a global pandemic that will most likely be with us for more time to come,” she said. “The release of the draft curriculum last spring... has met great resistance, and despite that, the government has indicated that a new K-6 curriculum will be implemented in September 2022.
“My knowledge and experience on these issues coupled with the respectful and valued relationships I have built over the years will benefit our Catholic School District and community as I continue to advocate for what is best for our students, teachers, staff, parents, and the communities I have served.”
Lamb, the Alberta Director for Dyslexia Canada, has 34 years of experience in the education field as a teacher, consultant, and volunteer with groups such as the Owen Hart Foundation and St. Vincent De Paul Society.
“My lifetime of experience at many levels as a teacher with Calgary Catholic School Board, foundation and committee member in our ward and city, educational consultant, plus my work at the provincial level as the Alberta Director for Dyslexia Canada has given me the privilege of representing all of our children,” Lamb said.
“Experience at many levels is important, but equally important is someone who truly represents the people of their community and wards. I’m rooted in our community and entrenched in the foundations, committees, and programs that help make a difference.”
Principal to Lamb’s platform is a championing of equal rights for all students, especially those with learning differences and unique needs, as well as protecting publicly funded Catholic education in Alberta and advocating for the best quality education, wellness, and mental health supports available for students, teachers and staff.
“This pandemic has struck at the heart of our families and communities,” Lamb said. “Providing a safe, secure, and inclusive learning space is essential.”
Corah, the recipient of the distinguished leadership award for 2020-21 by the Council for School Leadership, has a long record of work in education. Currently, she’s an instructor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She was previously a principal with CCSD for 18 years and before that, was a teacher with the district for 16 years.
On Corah’s website, she’s listed reconciliation and community involvement through promoting student-supporting initiatives as important issues for her.
Neither Corah or Buera, who does not appear to have a campaign website, could be reached for additional comment prior to press time.
For more information on the Ward 3, 5 and Airdrie candidates, go to cssd.ab.ca
