Meet your candidates for public school trustee in wards 3 and 4

When you head to the polls on Oct. 18, in addition to casting a vote for mayor and city councillor, you will also be voting for a school trustee. 

CBC News reached out to all the candidates for wards 3 and 4 and asked them to write their own short bio adhering to a strict word count introducing themselves and explaining what issues would be important to them if they were elected as school board trustee. 

There are five candidates running in wards 3 and 4, one of which is the incumbent, Althea Adams who has served as a trustee for one term.

Althea Adams, incumbent

The Calgary Board of Education has always been an important part of my life. I grew up in CBE schools as a first generation Canadian, and my father was a teacher for the CBE. Today, I am proud to send my two children to CBE schools where we live in Ward 4. I have been actively involved in school councils prior to being elected as a CBE trustee in 2017.

I'm an experienced trustee, serving the last four years as trustee for wards 3 and 4, two of those years as vice chair of the board, elected to this position by my fellow trustees. This experience has taught me to look at our system as a whole while considering equity in learning and resources.

Over the past four years, the board has put many great things in place including: a risk management framework to help guide CBE priorities, an equity index to better allocate resources, a program evaluation framework to ensure CBE programs are reviewed on a regular basis, and an Indigenous education Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework.

As your trustee, I will ensure as many dollars as possible are allocated directly to schools and classrooms, focus on improving student achievement and graduation rates and build public trust through transparency and community engagement.

Najeeb Butt

As your public school trustee, I will personally put the success of all students ahead of everything and work hard to inspire education to get better results for academic success, good citizenship behaviour, personal development (mainly in character) and other significant areas to make sure that all students have a safe and peaceful atmosphere at school.

I have been living in the City of Calgary for more than two decades and I completely understand the needs of the families in my community. I will give the best of myself to enhance students' competencies in education and extra curricular activities. I will be your strong voice in wards 3 and 4. I will work hard to ensure the Calgary Board of Education meets the students' needs and supports funding for public education and special programs for students with limited range of motion and cognitive concerns.

A strong voice fetches strong results and I pledge myself to work diligently and get improved results.

Claudia Fuentes

I was born and raised in Concepcion-Chile and came to Canada as an international college student in 2000 and I have been living in Calgary for over 20 years. I am a mom of two girls and successful small business owner. I care deeply for the kids in our community, and I am taking time away from life and business to ensure our schools are an even better place for our children.

I decided to run for public school board trustee knowing that education can be a transformative experience. We must invest in the next generation by bringing families, community groups, businesses and schools together to support our young people. My focus will be on listening and consulting the constituents (parents) and sharing the information with the local government and the CBE to advocate for the best interests of the students.

In addition, I would like to contribute on setting and tracking goals to help students increase their motivation, boost self-confidence, overcome challenges and look forward to a post-secondary education. We can create positive change in Calgary when we put our children first.

Laura Hack

Laura is a mom, teacher and education advocate with a deep connection to the ward 3 and 4 communities having lived in Brentwood, Beddington and Coventry Hills.

Laura received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta in 2011. Qualified as a math and science teacher, she has worked with students and their parents from K-12. She knows firsthand what students need to thrive in a classroom environment. Her and her husband have two children who attend their local public school where she serves on school council. She has dedicated her working and volunteer life to children and her community, and this position would be no different.

Among Laura's priorities for trusteeship is public engagement, where she will be dedicated to attending local events, school council meetings and community association meetings. She understands the importance of listening to and advocating for all members in the community she serves. She has been listening and believes that funding for special needs and pupil-teacher ratios can make an outsized difference in a child's education.

Laura's passion and experience uniquely qualifies her to be your public school board trustee in wards 3 and 4. She is here to serve as a full-time board member and continue to advocate on behalf of parents and most importantly the students

Oun Saegh

Oun Saegh chose not to submit a bio despite multiple attempts by CBC News.