After receiving such great feedback from citizens after providing Municipal candidate’s email answers, Sarah Ingalls (@s_ingalls) decided to reach out to the Saint John District Education Council candidates with a set of questions to collect their responses:
Dear DEC candidates,
As the election approaches, I have some questions regarding education that I would like to seek your opinion on. I have also contacted the candidates for city council and the questions and answers have been shared on Shawn Peterson’s blog, http://saintjohnshawn.
com/ .Please be advised that your opinion may also be shared but it can be a great way to have your voice heard.
These are the questions that affect my family:
1. Are you aware of the current high school selection process? Grade 8 students wishing to attend Saint John High and St Malachy’s, who live east and west, have their names drawn from a bucket. those who do not have a spot are put on a waiting list. For students wishing to attend SJHS for it’s academics(ie IB program), they are told they have a spot for grade 10 but spend a year in limbo. It’s a very frustrating process for the academic student and their family. Is this a process that you would be willing to improve upon?
2. Bullying is a hot topic these days. The Department of Education is working on a new policy. Are you willing to work with parents and schools in your sub-district to ensure this policy is followed and present concerns on behalf of schools and parents? From what we have seen and experienced, this important issue is not dealt with in the early grades.
3. Are you willing to go to bat for schools in your sub-district that are lacking the tools they need to properly educate their students?
4. Students with special needs and learning disabilities are making up a larger and larger part of the student population. Currently there is no support in place for parents who are navigating the school system with these challenges. It’s very stressful to want the best for your child but not know how to get there. Will you represent parents when they are hitting the wall of frustration?
5. Is there anything you would like to add?
Thank You for your time and consideration.
Sarah has been sharing the responses from each candidate, which I have added below (and I will keep adding any new ones that come in).
Looking for a list of DEC candidates running in your area?
Below are the answers she has received (so far):




Sometimes I forget that most people do not follow politics that closely. I’m often asked how voting works here in Saint John.
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