Sheryl Evans is running for School Board Trustee in Sault North and Prince Township for Algoma District School Board.
Sheryl (she/her) has served 2 terms as Sault North and Prince Township's Algoma District School Board Trustee. She is seeking re-election for a third term. She has been incredibly grateful and considers it a privilege to represent her community's voice around the ADSB table and Northern Ontario's voice around the Provincial Tables for 4 years. She served 2 years as the Northern Region Chair at the Ontario Public School Board Association, advocating for Education Priorities in the North. She works full-time at Metis Nation of Ontario as an Education Support Advocate. She graduated from Algoma University with a degree in Community Development and a Certificate in Social Welfare. Public Education is her absolute passion.
Why are you running for this position?
I am running for this position for a third term because I believe I have positively impacted my community, the schools I serve and represent, and around the board table in Algoma. I believe that I have made an incredible impact on Education Priorities in Northern Ontario and in the Algoma District, and I believe that there is more to do. I am always responsive to my community's needs and believe that good governance and professionality around the table are very important.
What do you think are the greatest challenges your municipality faces?
I know that there are many challenges in Education in the North. Staffing challenges exist across every sector but have never been so pronounced as they have been since COVID struck in our school systems. Finding, attracting and retaining staff is extremely important to good education systems in Northern Ontario and in the Algoma District. Access to equitable resources to support Special Education Needs and Mental Health Needs in our systems also continues to be a great challenge. Serving our Indigenous Students and families in ways that honour the past and serve future generations to come has ongoing advocacy and ally-ship that is needed. This is a great passion of mine and attached to it is the support for re-developing culturally appropriate and informed curriculum, weaving Indigenous ways of knowing and doing throughout the Ontario curriculum, as well as a strong advocacy push for Indigenous Language revitalization. There is much work to be done in Education and I am hoping to continue to be able to do it from around the Board table.
Other than the official ways of communicating (minutes, municipal notes), how else will you reach out to your constituents to involve them in the decision making process?
I enjoy engaging with my community and am always available to talk on social media platforms, through email, and on the phone. I reach out to the community through social media and at community events and would be happy to engage in any ways that support my community to vote.
What is your favourite thing to do in your municipality?
I love living in the North, and love living the Northern lifestyle in my home on the lake. We spend time outside in all seasons, enjoying the wilds of the North.
Why do you think it’s important for women to be represented in civic leadership, including on committees, boards and municipal councils?
It is important to have diverse representation around all tables. There is a big gap in representation based on population, and for many, these positions are unreachable due to the demands of work and family. The political constructs of our society are exclusive, and I want to be a part of the 'fix' to that problem. I believe that diverse voices are needed to represent diversity in our communities, to bring up different points of view and to have fulsome discussions around topics that matter most to them. I am a Mother of 4 and I work full-time. I want to ensure that the voices of parents and women in the North and the voices of students in the North are well represented.
Please identify the most critical policy, project, or initiative in your platform that addresses systemic barriers faced by women in your municipality, and describe why:
I believe that there are many barriers in place because of societal pressures on women. I believe that in order for this to change, I have to be a changemaker, I want the path to be easier for my daughters, my nieces, my neighbours and those in my community. I want women to look at the way I represent my community and the work that I do and think that they can do the same thing too. I also want to listen, listen to those that feel they do not have a voice, and I want to open doors for folks that are diverse and under-served and represented. I am grateful every day to sit around the table that I do and to represent my community.
Where can people find you?
Where can people find you?
You can reach me at sherylevansprice11@gmail.com
