Mother devastated by tragedy hopes to help as school trustee
'I think we are going to see change,' says re-elected Lyra Evans
Despite never before serving as a school board trustee, Donna Dickson says her painful experience and all that followed will help her serve Ottawa's public school students.
"What I bring is the tragedies that I've had to go through and just being a normal mom, a mom that wants change," Dickson explained.
The newly elected trustee for Zone 8 (Orléans East-Cumberland/Orléans South-Navan) is the mother of Ashton Dickson, who was killed outside a downtown Ottawa nightclub in 2017.
The 25-year-old was a graduate of St. Patrick's High School and a celebrated football player at St. Francis Xavier University before he was slain.
Now his mom, who will be sworn in with her fellow Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustees next month, says she wants to make sure other students have a chance to feel empowered through learning the way he did, and to ensure "no child will be left behind."
Dickson is one of seven new faces on the OCDSB's board of trustees after Monday night's election. She's part of a wave that will see rookies make up more than half of the 12-person governing body.
The travel consultant said she sees looking at the school system as a mother of four and grandmother of six, rather than an educator, as a strength.
The OCDSB has also been criticized for a lack of diversity, something Dickson said was top of mind when she decided to run.
"No matter what background we come from, we all want our kids to go to school and be in a safe space," she said.
"I know some things will be difficult and … you can't change everything, but it's four years to start making the change to make it right."
Five OCDSB trustees were re-elected, including current chair Lynn Scott, who has served as a trustee since 1994.
Donna Blackburn, who has been sanctioned by the board and urged to resign by both the board and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, also held onto her seat with 45 per cent of the vote in Zone 3.
Eight trustees with Ottawa's Catholic school board were re-elected, while two were replaced.
'I'm not bringing a bodyguard to board meetings'
Among the first-timers joining the public board is Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth. Despite running a busy family medical clinic, she's confident she can juggle the two roles.
"It's actually a logical extension of what I do in my practice. As a family doctor [I'm] advocating for those same children, the same youth and families as I would be advocating for in the education system," said Kaplan-Myrth.
She said she's focused on confronting discrimination and disparities in the education system that lead to some schools working with better resources than others.
Outspoken about her views, the newly elected Zone 9 (Capital/Alta Vista) trustee said she intends to continue speaking her mind in the new role, but noted she'll focus on raising issues, not publicly criticizing other board colleagues.
Kaplan-Myrth said her campaign was targeted by people against vaccine and mask mandates, but said she's hopeful now that the election has ended, those types of "nasty things" will also subside.
"I hope that moving forward, we can address the issues that are important without people showing up to just yell and harass because I'm not bringing a bodyguard to board meetings," she said.
Trustees will be sworn in on Nov. 15
During the campaign, a coalition of community groups condemned eight candidates in both the public and Catholic English-language boards they accused of spreading anti-trans rhetoric.
Each of those candidates were defeated, including a person competing with Lyra Evans in Zone 6 (Rideau-Vanier/Rideau-Rockcliffe).
Evans, who is trans, won a second term with more than 54 per cent of the vote. None of her competitors managed to hit double digits.
That "resounding defeat" shows "there was a concerted effort to make sure that these voices were not heard at the school board," she said, adding it also shows people in the area were happy with the job she was doing.
Evans said equity, the environment, and the mental health of students and staff remain her top priorities. She suggested rookie trustees get their footing as quickly as possible as the role comes with a steep learning curve.
"I think we are going to see change," she said. "I think we're going to see, hopefully, less stagnation because we have a young and a new trustee board."
The OCDSB trustees will be sworn in for a four-year term during a meeting on Nov. 15.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
