Municipal elections are October 26 in Ontario. To help voters make an informed decision here in Cornwall, the editorial board of The Seeker has put together 10 questions for candidates seeking to be elected as School Board Trustee. To ensure fairness, the same questions were sent to every candidate. We sent a total of 10 and they had the option to answer all of them, or pick a minimum of 5. Their answers will be published in their entirety, in the order they are received. We will not edit, correct or modify any responses.
These are Dylan Johnston’s Answers. He is running for councillor.
1. Who are you, and what experience or perspective would you bring to the school board if elected?
My name is Dylan Johnston. I work as a Contracts Officer for CNL so I believe this brings a strong professional knowledge of policies and terms and conditions as well as how to jump through the hoops and work through the red tape when need be. I also feel like I have personal stakes as I have one child who has just started her journey in academia and another who will join them in the not too distant future.
2. What do you believe is the biggest issue facing students and families in Cornwall and the surrounding area, and what would you do about it?
I think, like everyone else, we are feeling the dread of rising costs of everything. This is having a massive trickle down effect where it is causing transportation challenges, mental health concerns and not knowing where to turn for support. This in turn is then affecting students’ attendance which is then hurting their social and academic well being. My focus day one would be to confirm what current resources we have and what needs to be added or utilized that may not be already. Early intervention and mental health and special education support are needed now more than ever. My main focus will be to ensure every student gets the chance to succeed regardless of their circumstances.
3. What can the school board do to improve student achievement, particularly for students who are struggling in reading, writing and mathematics?
As I have stated above, early intervention is a must. The school board needs to ensure that every school has the staff and resources available right away to ensure the students that need the additional support do not fall even further behind while waiting for help. I think we need to put a system in place where it is easier for families and teachers to collaborate with one another so they can work together to ensure the students are getting the support they need.
4. How should the board address staffing challenges, including recruiting and retaining teachers, educational assistants and other support staff?
I think promoting our school board as a place where there is room to grow and feel valued is key. I think a big problem with any job is retention. You need to ensure that the staff can see a future in their role vs a stepping stone to something better. We need to be the better. Manageable workloads, competitive compensation and benefits and seeing the value of our school board would be my primary focus to help retention.
5. What should the board do to improve support for students with special education needs and ensure families can access the services their children require?
I think the investment into the qualified staff and support is a huge first step. We should be finding and utilizing the people who have gone and done the schooling because they were passionate in some way about helping the next generation. I think collaboration with these supports as well as families would do wonders for these students.
6. School transportation is facing financial pressures and potential changes. What would you do to ensure Cornwall-area students have reliable transportation without putting an unreasonable burden on families?
I think the first step would be to identify efficiencies. A good example of this would be better route coordination, reducing unnecessary empty runs and improving partnerships with the other local boards to perhaps help alleviate struggles on both ends. I know for instance my road alone has 3 different buses for all different boards. I think with some coordination there is money to be saved for all parties and could help fill gaps that the other boards may be having as well.
7. How should the board balance the needs of Cornwall’s urban schools with those of smaller and rural schools in the surrounding communities when making decisions about funding, programs and possible school closures or consolidations?
I think all funding should be needs based and backed up by stats instead of trying to use a one size fits all mentality. As I have stated above, a student shouldnt be limited by their circumstances. I think with proper data and forecasting as well as input from staff and families all need to be considered before making any kind of decision.
8. What is your position on cellphone use and other technology in schools, and where should the board draw the line?
I think in this day and age, it’s silly to think that cellphones and technology dont have a place in our schools.I think the policy our board has in place currently is logical and I wouldn’t advocate for much change unless concerns came from families or teachers. I do think it would be valuable to maybe have a potential workshop for students going from Grade 6 to Grade 7 about the usage of social media as this would most likely be the time where students might end up with data on there phones and will no longer have the blocks on social media that the schools wifi has in place. The policy for cell phone usage also becomes a bit more lax at this stage.
9. What is your position on AI use, and where should the board draw the line?
The way I see AI is that it can be used to assist but not create. An example of this would be letting it analyze your finished essay and maybe give you some pointers on ways you can improve it, maybe point out places where the grammar is a mess or where you could strengthen your idea. Obviously, the line for me would be creation. A student should be using their own thoughts, not something computer generated. I do think there should be digital literacy classes that are mandatory to show students how to use AI the right way.
10. If elected, what is the first issue you would bring to the board table on behalf of Cornwall-area students and families, and what specific action would you want the board to take?
I think as I stated above, the rising costs of everything is putting a lot of strain on families and I think my first focus would be to see what systems we currently have in place for support and what we can do to strengthen them. I think I would perhaps put something out like a survey to gather information from families and staff on what is and is not working, bring those concerns to the board and hope they are open to working on what needs to be addressed.
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