Message from the Vice-president

As Chair of ASBA’s various committees, I am pleased to share the notable accomplishments and collaborative efforts of committee members that have marked this past year.

Our committees are comprised of dedicated elected officials. Each committee member played a pivotal role in advocating for emergent issues in education, listened attentively to the needs of member school boards, and worked diligently to provide optimal supports.

Our Advocacy Committee developed a robust advocacy strategy in the lead-up to Alberta’s provincial election to enhance ASBA and members’ position as the voice for education. This included offering engagements with political analysts to share election insights and gathering feedback from members to inform advocacy priorities. We additionally hosted one-on-one video discussions with political party leaders and appreciated members’ positive feedback on this initiative.

As Chair of our General Meeting business sessions, I was pleased to see a number of initiatives take place that will enhance our governance processes including revisions to ASBA’s Bylaws; ensuring readiness for member-approved Bylaws to take effect; and, recommendations on the evaluation and standardization of our position statement process. My thanks go to our Governance Task Force, Policy Development Advisory Committee and Position Statement Advisory Group for their dedication and commitment to this great work.

The work on our position statement process continues and we appreciate the valuable discussions and recommendations from members.

I was additionally grateful to Chair the 2023 CSBA Congress this past summer, which was planned by our CSBA Congress Task Force. I extend thanks to our President, our Board of Directors and CEO, for their leadership and contributions.

It has been a pleasure to work closely on these initiatives, and I look forward to setting our sights on the future in support of members.