The Manitoba School Boards Association (MSBA) held its 61st annual convention on March 20 — a time for trustees and educators from across the province to come together, share experiences and strengthen their collective voice.
A theme of unity and exchange
"This year's theme was Connection, Collaboration, and Celebration," says Board Chair Hélène Hoggarth. "This year, it was held at the Delta Hotel. It was nice to be able to connect with all other divisions in Manitoba and share ideas, just get to know each other, and share what works and what doesn't work for each different division."
While no binding decisions are made during the convention, she noted it’s an important time to bring forward resolutions to advocate for changes at the provincial level.
A full schedule — and a moving performance
"The days were long. They started around 7:30 to 8:30. They had registration and breakfast, and then there was the call to order," she said. "One morning, we had 'O Canada' sung by the Isaac Brock School children and it was wonderful. It brought tears to our eyes; all these little children — the little girls and their ribbon skirts and the little boys with their red shirts and their ties. They were just adorable."
Inspiring words from Cassie Campbell-Pascall
Another highlight was the keynote address from former Team Canada captain and broadcaster Cassie Campbell-Pascall.
"In 1994, she joined the Women's Canada Hockey team, representative for Team Canada. She was their captain. What a beautiful motivational speaker! It was really, really good. She was worth every penny they paid for her, I'm sure. She's now with Hockey Night in Canada on the broadcast team. And she's just a wonderful, wonderful person."
Key resolutions: all-day kindergarten and school tax reform
Among the many resolutions discussed, Hoggarth adds all-day kindergarten stood out.
"We'd love to have extra funding for that. We think it would be so beneficial for the children coming in, especially after COVID," said Hoggarth. "We're still trying to catch up with that. It would be just a great solution to the problem. Some of the kids are not coming in quite ready for kindergarten, sort of thing. If we had all day, we could catch them up with their literacy skills and numeracy skills. That basic foundation for many years to come is built in those formative years, and it would be great if we could have that. That's one of them."
She added that taxation — specifically, the need to modernize the school tax funding formula — was another key concern.
"The chairs met also with the Education Minister, Heather Schmidt. And they tell us that a new formula should be released within three to four weeks, but don't hold your breath."
A chance to bond and build relationships
Despite the busy agenda, Hoggarth said the convention was a meaningful opportunity for trustees to bond and reflect on their shared work.
She noted that while the division has nine trustees, eight were able to attend.