麻豆传媒AV

PRINCE ALBERT — Daphne Masih, who works for Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) Prince Albert and currently has five children attending school in Sask Rivers, has made the decision to run for trustee in Sask Rivers.

Masih said her roles as a parent, member of the Prince Albert community, and as a leader in the community formed her decision to run for trustee.

"I have a lot of kids that have come through the school district and they all have wildly differing needs and abilities to contribute,” she explained.

Masih said she sees the work teachers have done and empathizes with them and students for doing their best with the available resources.

"I'd like to be able to support as much as possible, so I'd love to be able to help teachers and find out what they can do to invest in their kids in a good way,” Masih said.

Masih noted that that many parts of education have changed in five years with the COVID-19 pandemic. She wants to help contribute to health and well-being for parents, teachers and students.

“I want to be able to advocate from that point of view for the kids and staff for the best possible outcome,” she said.

Masih added that CBYF is about creating safe spaces for youth to be heard and educated and this position allows her to hear many different perspectives.

"I've connected with many organizations through my work and schools, youth caregivers, to try to work together to find a way forward that's mutually beneficial. (It’s) hearing all the voices and seeing what needs to go into the consideration,” she said.

As a community member, Masih wants to support the health and well-being of the  

“I spent quite a number of weeks honestly reading through all the board policies and handbook to figure out if this is where I'd like to,” she explained. “I think I would like to be able to support in a way that sees things from a multiple from multiple viewpoints I'd say.”

Masih said that if elected as a trustee she would be an equitable voice on the board. Masih has a background in psychology, not in education, and said this gives her a unique perspective to bring to the board. She also worked with children in the non-profit sector, and said that gives her another perspective.

Masih said that her goals, if elected, would be to support the common goals of education, learning and growth.

"I don't want to come in pretending that I know what's going on and saying I have all the answers, but I will come in with the mindset to hear the things I don't see, see the people and views that should be a part of the conversation, and meet the needs of everyone coming together to believe,” she explained. “I don't want to bring an agenda to the table. I want to bring collective impact opportunities to the table.”

Masih said that before running she read the strategic plan for the school division. She said the goals in the document align with her own and she wants to build on that going forward.

She said her biggest goals are to provide transparency, openness and responsibility. She said she would look at decisions concerned about how they affect teachers, staff, students and community. Masih said that another goal would be to be fiscally responsible if elected and ensure that supports are provided.

 "Ensuring we are fiscally responsible and honor our teachers, staff and students with how we spend our finances for the best possible outcome for everyone,” she said.

She also wants to be transparent and reassess decisions before and after they are made.

“I think that it would be great for us to be able to make decisions that impact teachers ability to be proud of the work they do and our children's ability to lead as they get older,” she said.  

The Municipal and School Board elections are scheduled for Nov. 13. There are 12 candidates running for five urban trustee positions in Saskatchewan Rivers. See previous issues of the Herald for profiles on the other candidates.