Hello friends. It is my honour to be your locally elected Rocky View School Division school trustee for the City of Chestermere. This is the start of my third term in office and I wanted to share some thoughts with you on why publicly elected, locally governed school boards are a critical piece of our democratic system.
As parents and guardians, we want the best for our children: safe schools, strong learning environments, and decisions that put students first. In Alberta, elected school boards play a key role in making that happen. They help ensure that the voices of parents and communities are heard in decisions that shape our children’s education—both locally and at the provincial level.
Trustees are elected in the municipal election cycle and give parents a direct voice into how schools are governed. Alberta’s communities are diverse, and what works for one area may not work for another. Elected school boards understand local realities because trustees live in the same communities as the families they represent. If families have concerns about class sizes, transportation, school safety, programming, or supports for students, trustees are people they can contact, meet with, and ultimately hold accountable at election time.
This local, democratic connection matters because education decisions are not abstract—they affect your child’s classroom, teachers, and daily experience at school. Without elected boards, families would not have that connection to someone solely focused on education in their community who are able to implement provincial education decisions and highlight unintended consequences that affect students’ learning and well-being.
School boards play a critical role in working with the province to implement those decisions locally and to provide feedback on how they affect students and families. It is a relationship designed to provide a bridge between parents and the provincial government. The provincial government is tasked with funding education and creating policies to ensure students get what they need to achieve and be successful in an ever-evolving world. School boards, through locally elected trustees, provide the local context to government officials on how those policies play out in real schools—with real children. Boards share local data, raise concerns, and advocate for needs of students in the communities they represent. When boards and government have a collaborative relationship, when policy is informed by local context, students win.
Elected school boards matter because they keep education decisions local, transparent, and accountable—while also ensuring that community voices are heard at the provincial level. They give families representation, students advocates, and communities a meaningful role in shaping the schools their children attend every day.
Today’s students will one day lead our social, economic, and political systems. That responsibility demands that we work together now to ensure education policy is shaped by the local needs of the students it serves.
If you would like to share your thoughts or ask questions, please reach out to me. I would love to hear from you.
Respectfully,
~ Shali Baziuk
Shali Baziuk is a trustee for the Rocky View Schools (RVS) Division, representing Ward 1. She was first elected in 2017 and is currently seeking re-election for her second term. Shali has a background in political science/law, public relations, and corporate training, with over 20 years of experience in regional operations management. She has been actively involved in community service and advocacy for education, including serving as chair of the school council for Rainbow Creek Elementary School and is the President of the Alberta School Boards Association’s Zone 5 since 2019. Shali is also an active volunteer at Chestermere schools and the Chestermere Food Bank, and she has two children attending RVS schools.
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