A school board has one responsibility that no other organization can perform on its behalf: public oversight. Trustees approve the budget, monitor how public money is spent, hold the superintendent accountable for district performance and answer to the community that funds the school system.

When oversight works, the community can trust that decisions are being carefully examined. When it fails, programs can disappear, student supports can be reduced and taxpayers can be left without a clear account of where their money went.

My reason for running is personal. After an incident involving my child, I asked the District for answers. Records I later obtained through a freedom-of-information request did not match what I had been told. That experience led me to examine SD42’s audited financial statements, budgets, board minutes, policies and public records. What I found raised further questions about how decisions are made, how public money is allocated and why clear explanations can be so difficult to obtain.

That work also led me to review the District’s policies governing how parents raise concerns and appeal decisions. In my view, the current process places too much of the burden on families. It can be slow and difficult to navigate, and it offers little practical recourse when a parent believes the District has made a mistake.

A complicated and lengthy process can discourage families—particularly those facing language, time or accessibility barriers—from pursuing legitimate concerns. I want the process reviewed so it is accessible, timely and fair to every family, not only those with the resources and capacity to persist.

Fair treatment and financial accountability are not separate issues. Both depend on whether the District is transparent, accepts responsibility for its decisions and answers to the families and community it serves.

I want to bring three commitments to the Board.

Answers that arrive. When a parent, student, employee or resident contacts a trustee, they deserve acknowledgment and a meaningful response—not silence or a form letter. I will answer directly. When confidentiality genuinely applies, I will explain that plainly. When I do not yet know the answer, I will say so and work to find it.

Budgets examined before they are approved. I am an MBA graduate in strategy and finance, a finance and accounting professional, a licensed residential builder, a Realtor and a former commercial banker. I completed the CPA prerequisite education program and am enrolled in the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP). My career has included reviewing financial statements, assessing business performance and preparing commercial lending submissions. I will ask what each major expenditure achieved, what alternatives were considered and how students benefited—publicly and before the vote.

Decisions supported by evidence. I will ground my positions in audited financial statements, board minutes, policies and public records. Voters should be able to examine the evidence behind a trustee’s decisions rather than simply being asked to trust them.

Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows residents—parents, students, staff and every taxpayer who funds this system—deserve a Board that treats children and public money with the seriousness they warrant.

That is the standard I will hold myself to—and the standard voters should use to measure my performance.

Students first. Accountability always.