Catholic Trustee for
Aurora, King, & Whitchurch-Stouffville

York Catholic District School Board

         Whenever I get the opportunity to visit a school or attend a graduation I am thankful for being able to witness the gift of publicly funded Catholic education in York Region. This is what Catholic schools are all about: student achievement and spiritual growth founded in the knowledge that we are wonderfully made in the image of God. As our boulevard signs proclaim: We are Diverse, We are One in Christ.

December 2024 marked 30 years as a York Catholic DSB trustee.  During these years I have witnessed many changes in pedagogy, funding and Provincial Policy, yet one thing has remained constant, our commitment to providing a path to graduation for each and everyone of our students. YCDSB is proud to have the highest graduation rates in the province at 97.3%.

We continue to experience chronic decline in enrolment in the elementary panel and it is one of the contributing factors to a second deficit budget in two years. The Board has to submit a Multi-Year Financial Recovery Plan to the Ministry by the end of January 2025. To ensure compliance with the Education Act we must achieve an in-year balanced budget by 2026-27. To address the $10.5 M shortfall we will be faced with making critical cuts to the system to items in our budget that are not driven by collective agreements and Ministry regulations. Central staffing, innovative programs that we are so very proud of, like STREAM centers, further reductions in transportation and Special Education, will all be vulnerable. We will also look at increasing our revenue stream by reviewing our Community Use of Schools Policy as well as increasing rental revenues. As long as the Provincial moratorium on school closures is in place, we have to continue to support many schools that have dropped below 200 in enrolment. Not only is this a financial pressure, but small schools also impact student extracurricular opportunities and limit student groupings.

Despite the pressures, the Board continues to invest in mental health initiatives and a continued focus on health and safety, including increased cleaning and ventilation standards. We are also implementing the Ministry’s new math and literacy curriculums as well as the financial literacy initiative. Recently we passed policies that align with new ministry direction specifically: Policy 230 Guest Speakers / External Presentations, Policy 311 Digital Discipleship- Student Use of Technology, and Independent Procedure: Distribution of Materials. We will be reviewing and going out for consultation in early 2025 on the following Policies: Policy 119 Electronic Communication and Social Media, Policy 220 Graduation Exercises in Elementary and Secondary Schools, Policy 603A School Fundraising, Policy 603B Fundraising for external Charitable Purposes, Policy 616 Community Use of Schools.

I am honoured to continue to serve the parents and students of Aurora, King and Whitchurch-Stouffville. In September of 2023, Blessed Chiara Badano, a single track grade 1-6 French Immersion Elementary School and St. Katharine Drexel CHS, a 7-12 high school that opened with grades 7-9 were founded and housed in alternate accommodations until March 18th. Their new facility in Stouffville was many years in the making delayed by site servicing and COVID supply chain issues but we finally opened the doors. On October 18th, 2024 we all came together to celebrate the Solemn Blessing and Official Opening. A special thank you to His Excellency Bishop Boissonneau for concelebrating Mass with Fr Tad and Fr Michael. Thank you to all special guests, including former Trustees, Mayor Lovatt, and MPPs Calandra and Chan, for attending. The schools put together a wonderful celebration highlighting student talent!

My commitment to you is to provide safe, inclusive schools where students grow in their faith and develop their God-given talents. Being a trustee is my only job and therefore I am always available by phone or by email.....to answer questions, provide advice or direction, and most importantly to advocate for those whose concerns have not been heard. I am committed to ensuring that the schools in my community are treated fairly and that parents, students, and staff have a voice. 

           I pride myself on being an accessible and accountable representative, advocating   and serving both my local constituents and the Catholic community of York Region. Please follow me on Facebook and on Instagram (secrowe) where I post information related to our Catholic Faith, Catholic Education, as well as school and Board  initiatives. 

As a Catholic, I see being a trustee as my vocation in life, to serve my Catholic community by building a strong Catholic school system, that graduates students who are called to serve The Lord and one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.