WHITEWATER REGION (Beachburg) — Dave Shields of Beachburg wants to continue as the trustee for Whitewater Region/Admaston-Bromley townships on the Renfrew County District School Board.
He has 24 years of experience. He was first elected in 1985, defeated in 1994 and was elected back into office in 2003.
“I first became interested in running for school board trustee in the 1980s when I heard on the radio news that the Grade 7 and 8 students from Beachburg were to be bused to Pembroke and Westmeath Public School would be closed and the students bused to Pembroke to fill up a school there,” he recalled.
While that didn’t come to fruition at that time, last year Westmeath Public School was closed, he said. He recalled there being about 12 delegations attending a board meeting fighting to keep Westmeath open.
“It was heart-breaking listening to those people fighting for their rural community and I was the only voice (on the board) that supported keeping the school open,” Mr. Shields recalled.
However, the community knew how hard he fought to keep the school open and recognized him at the final Westmeath graduation with a standing ovation.
Mr. Shields is currently the only trustee candidate for the Oct. 22 municipal election in Whitewater Region. Those wanting to run for the position have until 2 p.m. on Friday, July 27 to file nomination papers.
Since becoming a trustee, Mr. Shields has been board chair six times and vice-chair four times. He currently sits on two ad-hoc committees – Special Education Advisory Committee and the Pathways to Thrive Committee.
The SEAC committee deals with ensuring the board is meeting the needs of its special needs and gifted students, he said. The Pathways to Thrive committee works on ways to assist students to develop good character.
“I firmly believe that students who develop good character will lead successful and happy lives and what is more important than that,” Mr. Shields said. “I talk about the value of developing good character every chance I get. That is usually my theme for graduation speeches and such.”
He has also been involved in the Ontario Public School Board Association since returning to the board in 2003. He has held several positions, including director and chair of the policy development work team. He is currently Eastern Regional Vice President, a position he’s had for the past nine years and was acclaimed just recently for another term.
The OPSBA represents 39 member organizations with 388 trustees and just over one million students, he said, noting, it is a dynamic and diverse body with unique local needs. Three trustees from the Renfrew County Board of Education hold various positions on the executive which is outstanding for a small rural board, he noted.
The OPSBA has gone from being a lobby group to being a partner with the provincial government, he said.
“Our staff and bureaucrats are on a first-name basis,” Mr. Shields said. “We’re asked for our input.”
Mr. Shields has strong family support and minimal family obligations. He noted his wife Susan makes the long trips to Toronto, and beyond while he fulfills his provincial leadership roles. She not only shares the driving, but gets to shop and visit with relatives, he quipped.
The polls indicate there may be a new provincial government next month and his experience, both locally and provincially, would be an asset for the next trustee term, he said.
“Being a trustee is both rewarding and disappointing sometimes,” he admitted. “I have lost a couple of my rural schools (Ross Mineview and Westmeath). Each time I have fought hard to represent the best interest of residents and students of the those schools.”
Mr. Shields’ said there are five new trustees out of eight on the board in this past term and they need leadership and experience to guide them along.
“Our present board of trustees are wonderful dedicated people with a focus on what’s best for our students,” he said. “We don’t have anybody who is a one issue trustee. Everyone is there to serve our students and communities.”
He admits the hard part is when the government makes decisions for school boards, and it’s not always the best decisions, but they have to deal with that.
“It can be a struggle,” Mr. Shields said.
Mr. Shields also has a strong passion “to make sure that the students in rural Ontario get the same breaks, the same technology, and that they come out as well-equipped as the students in downtown Toronto or some of these urban areas.
“I want to make sure there’s a strong rural voice, which is why I was pleased to be acclaimed as vice-president of the Ontario School Board Association for Eastern Ontario,” he said. “The work we do on the Ontario Public School Board Association is both very interesting and important. I believe deeply in the value of the OPSBA. It is a strong and effective voice for our member school boards and promotes our ability to affect positive outcomes in public education.”
If elected, Mr. Shields said he wants to make sure things run smoothly and properly.
“I want to ensure the decisions the board makes are good ones,” he said. “My goal is to provide leadership, because I have a vast amount of experience and I also bring experience from the provincial perspective that other trustees don’t have.
“I believe that I have a lot of experience and energy to provide excellent representation for the residents and students of Whitewater Region and Admaston/Bromley,” Mr. Shields said.
