I’m Julia Burgess and I’ve been an advocate of public ed most of my life: as a student, a parent and local school council chair, and spouse of an educator and shop teacher. I married Jim Hulme in 1976, when he was a full time student at U of Western getting his credentials to teach tech subjects.
I washed every student shop coat for 32 years before he retired from teaching, and I know first-hand how this board excels at tech ed compared to others – not just IT, I’m talking hard shops, apprenticeships, work and college pathways. EDHS and KDHS are excellent examples for offering these valuable courses leading to great paying local jobs and careers. We decide as trustees to build shops into our schools, some outside of what admin wants. And that arm’s length of governance is important.
I’ve retired from a successful career in sales and management working for leading corporations like P&G, and major health care providers as a liaison for clinicians.
I was first elected in 2000, when I was the School Council Chair at our son’s elementary school, always keeping the best interests of kids at the centre of my decisions. I’ve been on most committees, Chair and vice Chair of both Education and Finance & Operations (budget); honoured to serve as both Chair and Vice Chair of this GECDSBoard.
These pandemic years have shown how my passion for kids, my institutional knowledge as well as analytical skills, ethics, science and engineering background is valuable in such trying and turbulent times for families. We have a tough few years ahead to recover the lost momentum in student achievement and particularly in their well-being, and that of our staff and families. I look forward to listening and applying my well rounded experience with all emerging best practices to help find that new normal and regain all the promise that great public education offers for our kid’s most richly imagined futures.
I was at the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) directors table this weekend where Labour relations was an urgent agenda item. It’s 80% of our board’s ($487M) operating budget, we’re the employer, the Crown’s the banker. All union contracts expired Aug 31 and we’re negotiating fair collective agreements, with our bargaining not taking place in the media.
I don’t understand how you can say the following quote from the above article and then completely ignore the communities, the children and their parents for your self serving debacle of naming a community school – quote “I look forward to listening and applying my well rounded experience with all emerging best practices to help find that new normal and regain all the promise that great public education offers for our kid’s most richly imagined futures. ” End quote. You haven’t listened to the many voices that have come forward with their displeasure in your self serving choices. You were elected to serve them, not yourself. In reading the guidelines for the chair when naming a school, the very last paragraph should have been taken seriously by yourself, not just telling other trustees – “As chair of this committee I will request that all members put aside personal biases or preferences and objectively help determine the name(s), which we feel as a committee, will create a strong identity for the school community and represent the character and the brand of the greater Essex county district school board”. Shame on you for letting this community down and not keeping your promises. Also, it’s called greater Essex county district school board to state who this board represents. It’s not called Erie migration district school board. Seems silly now in that regard does it not? Stepping down as a trustee would be favored after this debacle. Please consider this.
And still you failed..F-
Don’t worry..this fight will come to you..promise!!