Fiona Gilbert, incumbent chair and Ward 6 trustee with the Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees, has announced she will be running for re-election as the division's Cochrane’s representative in the upcoming Oct. 18 election.
The fall campaign marks Gilbert’s third time vying for the trustee position, which she has held since 2013. Since then, she has served two terms on the public school board, attending meetings and speaking on behalf of Cochrane-based schools and stakeholders.
She said over the last eight years, she has seen the board come together to define its goals and represent its communities.
“As I look back over those eight years, all of the different things that have been accomplished, I think the biggest one that has been most impactful for RVS is the clarity around the goals of governance and coming together as a team of trustees to represent our communities and to be the public voice of education with the board,” she said.
Gilbert added she believes she is a strong contender for re-election, as she understands the needs of the community and her constituents of Cochrane, having lived in the town since 2007. Outside of her role for RVS, she is the manager of Cochrane’s local movie theatre.
“I’m a very strong parent and community voice and bring that voice to the table,” she said. “[I also] have eight years under my belt [as trustee] and I think that I bring a lot of experience and a lot of leadership skills to the board team.”
In 2019, Gilbert was selected by her fellow RVS trustees to serve as board chair – a role that includes presiding over official meetings and serving as the board’s official spokesperson.
According to Gilbert, her motivation behind running in the upcoming school board election stems from a desire to do even more to represent Cochranites.
“I’m not done yet,” she said. “I think there’s more that I can accomplish, more that I would like to accomplish, and more value that I can bring to the constituents of Cochrane specifically, as that is my ward, but also, to all of Rocky View Schools as a member of the board, being the public voice at the table of the board.”
She said whether or not she is re-elected this fall, her greatest hope for the division in the coming years is that it will continue to adapt to the needs of the families and students it serves.
“I hope [RVS] continues on the path that they are [on] in becoming and continuing to be a world-class learning organization where kids belong and succeed,” she said. “I think the one constant in RVS over my eight years – and I imagine still moving into the future – is that RVS will continue to change.
“My hope would be that as a division, they embrace that change and continue to grow and continue to respond to the needs of students and communities.”
In the last several years, the school division has seen rapid growth in its communities, impacting both school enrolment and infrastructure. RVS has also had to pivot several times during the COVID-19 pandemic to accommodate online forms of learning when health restrictions made in-person learning impossible.
Additionally, a recent decision by the trustees not to mandate masking in its schools this fall has been met with mixed reactions from community members.
“We absolutely respect that there are many different perspectives on how best to support the health and wellness of our children in back to school,” Gilbert said. “All of the concerns and perspectives are absolutely valid.”
RVS opted to align its return-to-school plan with the Alberta government’s recommendations, which include voluntary face-masking and enhanced cleaning protocols.
“We believe [the return to school plan] finds a balance between minimizing the risks of illness while supporting the social, emotional, and learning needs of our students as best as we can,” Gilbert said.
The deadline for nomination for the upcoming school board election is Sept. 20.
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