The role of a Catholic school board trustee is an important one. As a trustee, you have the opportunity to represent your community, your parish, families and students who attend not only your local school, but schools across division or ward you serve. Trustees work to ensure our schools and division are functioning within Alberta Education guidelines, meeting the expectations of curriculum development and delivery, as well as ensuring the organization remains fiscally responsible and viable, and follows the Alberta Education Act.
What does a Catholic trustee do? As Catholic educators, we have a unique role in the education make-up of our province that dates back to the Alberta Act of 1905, when Catholic education became a formal part of the education system in our province, offering families the opportunity to integrate their child’s faith journey with their learning journey in a special and personal way.
Trustees also have the opportunity and responsibility of ensuring that not only the educational needs of students are met in our schools but also their spiritual needs and faith development. At STAR Catholic Schools, our main goal is to ensure that Catholic faith permeates our schools and that everything we teach is seen through a lens of faith.
As a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Roman (STAR) Catholic School Board, you’ll be part of an important group that has been granted the authority to make decisions on the direction and quality of Catholic education by the minister of Alberta Education and the archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. Catholic trustees work with and are supported by several organizations, including Alberta Education, the Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association (ACSTA), and the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA). As a trustee, you’ll work with your fellow trustees as part of the STAR Catholic board, having input on policies and procedures that guide the STAR Catholic Schools from the division level, right down to the local school level and day-to-day operations.
Perhaps your most important role is to stay connected with the members of your community, parish and other stakeholders. You’ll be looking for their input on what they value most and would like to see happen at their local schools. That feedback will be important as it is quite likely that the concerns and values of Catholic parents in one community may be important to those in other communities and should be reflected and addressed by the overall direction of the STAR Catholic Board and the Division.
If you want to make a difference in Catholic education, you are encouraged to consider becoming a STAR Catholic school board trustee. Elections are Oct. 21 and you can find more information on the role and the election process on the ACSTA website at www.acsta.ab.ca/resources/electionbook or the ASBA website at www.asba.ab.ca/trustee_election13.asp. You can also learn more about, or contact the current STAR Catholic board trustee for more information on their role and responsibilities, by visiting www.starcatholic.ab.ca/division/meet-your-board/.
Maria Lentz maria.lentz@starcatholic.ab.ca is a Ponoka trustee on the STAR Catholic Schools Division Board.