Tara Barton-Maclaren has one main goal as an Upper Canada school trustee and that is to make sure that every student has a chance to succeed at whatever their career goal is.
“I am very committed to ensuring that students have opportunities to be successful,” said Barton-Maclaren.
Barton-Maclaren wants to make sure that students have the same chance to realize their dreams that she had. Her professional resume reads like the profile for a candidate suited for any top-level position in the field of health and healthcare.
She holds a doctorate in pharmacology and therapeutics and a bachelor’s degree with specialized honours in bio-medical science. She works right now with Health Canada in key areas dealing with Canada’s Chemical Management Plan and her international reputation in her field of expertise is backed up with a long list of awards and international appointments.
Given all that makes it seem that Barton-Maclaren is busy enough with her professional work. The question then is why would she want to sit on the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) and would she have enough time for it.
“That’s a fair question,” she said. “The answer is that my (youngest) child is in the school system. So I became more and more interested in how the school board makes its decisions.”
Barton-Maclaren already sits on the UCDSB as the interim trustee for the Perth area of the school district board. She replaced Todd Robertson in May as the trustee for that area after he stepped down. Now she wants to become the UCDSB’s trustee for the Prescott and Russell area as its current trustee, Corina Parisien, is running for the mayor’s position on Champlain Township council.Two of Barton-Maclaren’s children have graduated high school and are pursuing their post-secondary studies.
Her youngest is still attending Vankleek Collegiate Institute. Barton-Maclaren feels that her background as a parent of children who attended school in a rural area of the UCDSB can help her become “a bridge” for families in rural areas with children in school.
“So that we can insure that our school system is giving each and every child equal opportunity,” she said. “I have a unique understanding of this community and of this community’s needs.”
She cites her involvement on the VCI School Council, including sitting as its current chair, and her position as a trustee on the UCDSB’s parent involvement committee and also on the parent reaching out grant subcommittee. She’s also active on the ground as both a player and a coach in the Glengarry Soccer League.
During the past weeks of summer Barton-Maclaren has been preparing for her new trustee election campaign with research on local school and education issues and how those concerns may be affected by the provincial government’s Bill 101, the Putting Student Achievement First Act, and some of the details in the legislation that could change the authority and function of local school boards.
“I’m getting a head start on what may be the (new) rules and responsibilities,” she said.
She affirmed that her priority issue in her election campaign is being a bridge for families in dealing with schools and the school board. She wants to hear from students, parents, and school councils so she can present those concerns to both the UCDSB board and administration. Her focus, she noted is “equitable student achievement” that depends on effective and efficient communication of concerns and issues.
“It’s all about ensuring that the voices are heard,” she said.
