They're only young once. When it comes to meeting our children’s educational needs, there are few second chances. A good education is the greatest gift we can give our children. Well-educated populations generally have better health and it is the best way to ensure that Ottawa remains a thriving city.

As a volunteer in our schools for over a decade, I have seen many changes. If you have a child in school, no doubt you have noticed some of these changes too. While our public schools provide an excellent education for many, there are still too many children leaving school without a high school diploma.

To address this problem, I helped start a Pathways to Education program in our community. Pathways to Education is a volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring program focused on children in neighbourhoods with high dropout rates. In three short years, the dropout rate of these students has decreased from greater than 50% to close to 10%. In 2009, I was awarded the Community Service Award by the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre in recognition of this effort.

I support a range of educational services to better address student needs including properly resourced neighbourhood schools, alternative elementary schools, specialized or adaptive secondary schools, and special needs programs. I also believe that more emphasis should be given to meeting the needs of at-risk, special need, and refugee/immigrant students. These programs cost little but in recent years, the public school board has chosen to move away from equity in favour of a cookie-cutter approach. As a society, we can properly educate our children now or we can pay later in terms of increased welfare costs and reduced tax revenue. In an aging society, we cannot afford to leave students behind who could have much to contribute.

I feel that the geographical boundaries of the Alternative School Program should be expanded to include Nepean. Currently only students who live within the former Ottawa School Board boundaries are entitled to attend Alternative Schools. It was clear from a review the school board conducted earlier this year that this Program helps address the needs of students who have fallen through the cracks. With a higher-than-average exceptional student enrolment and lower-than-average suspension and incident rates, alternative schools are clearly doing something right. During the review, teachers, parents and students spoke eloquently about the opportunities for meaningful and creative learning opportunities that Alternative Schools provide.

It's time our school board tackled some difficult but necessary issues. Our children must be safe while at school and we must work more closely with community organizations in this regard. Students also must have better opportunities for physical activity in our schools to ensure that they are healthy and engaged in learning.

I have 16 years of experience in Ottawa public schools as a parent of two boys, a volunteer and school council representative, an advocate for families, and now as a school trustee. On October 25, please take the time to cast your vote for a school trustee with the experience, the resolve, and a solid understanding of our schools to make a difference.