June 2023

MPP Goes Back to School

Our publicly-funded school systems are the incubator of our society’s future
It has been a while (quite a long while) since I was a public school student in Arthur. However, I recently
went back to school with Trustee Jeanne Gray, as part of Halton District School Board’s “Take Your MPP
to School” initiative.
To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. After the pandemic’s sporadic interruptions
of in-person learning, Robert Little, McKenzie-Smith Bennett, and Acton District High Schools are again
alive and bursting with enthusiasm and creativity.
Acton High has launched a mental health and well-being improvement program, ensuring every student
feels like they belong and improving students’ mental health literacy and resilience. It could not be
better timed, and it’s a model for the Province.
I’ve also had the chance to catch up with Halton Catholic School Board Trustees and staff, visiting Holy
Cross Catholic Elementary School, Christ the King Catholic Secondary School in Georgetown, and the
Thomas Merton Centre for Adult and Continuing Education in Oakville, along with local trustee Janet
O’Hearn-Czarnota.
Again, I saw first-hand and was blown away by the extraordinary dedication and caring of our education
professionals, and the response of students towards achieving extraordinary outcomes.
Going back to 2008, we have approached the Ministry of Education on at least 10 separate occasions
seeking support and approval for a new Holy Cross School in Georgetown. Parts of the current school
are more than 60 years old, and its condition overall continues to deteriorate. Our students deserve
better and the school board has an innovative new solution. I appreciated the Minister’s interest and I
look forward to his response.
As an MPP, I have always believed that our publicly-funded school systems are the incubator of our
society’s future. There are myriad reasons why investments in public education pay huge dividends
down the road. One is that well-educated communities attract job-creating investments. If our
education system is the best in the world, Ontario will lead the world in the decades to come. That is
why we must set the bar high, and with continuous improvement strive to raise it even higher.