Elections

#1 What do you think are some strengths of the PSTA? What do you think some areas of improvement for the PSTA are? How will you leverage strengths and plan for improvements, if you are elected president?

#2 Can you comment on a time when you led a group of colleagues to implement a change initiative?

#3 Maintaining and building trust with the board and the school division are a crucial part of the role as president, and so is advocating for Prairie Spirit teachers. How will you maintain relationships when our interests diverge?

#4 What parts of being President would you excel at and what parts might you struggle with?

It is my honour to work for the teachers of Prairie Spirit

I began my teaching career as a substitute teacher in 2002. For three years I was a high school teacher at Chief Poundmaker School, for six years I worked at Hanley Composite in the role of K-12 Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT), and for five years I was a grade 7 teacher at Warman Community Middle School. My range of experience across different roles and schools has helped me represent Prairie Spirit teachers.

To understand the roles of STF and local associations, I became involved with the PSTA as a substitute teacher and attended Representative Assemblies. I was elected an STF Counsellor for the first time in 2009. I have witnessed many significant changes in education locally and provincially in my 15 years on the PSTA executive, including the changes to the provincial funding model, and the changes we’ve experienced through six different directors of education.

As a local association president, I represent the teachers of Prairie Spirit School Division and I take this responsibility seriously. There are times the job of president requires me to speak on behalf teachers and share our concerns when school or division-wide changes are proposed. One of my strengths is to the ability to approach these discussions logically and respectfully while also refusing to accept responses that are not consistent or reasonable.

Recently, when the school division decided to move teachers’ duty-free noon break to the end of the day due to STF members’ withdrawal of lunch supervision, I initiated a response with PSTA Councillors. Within 24 hours we sent out a member survey to gather data from teachers about the problems this decision would cause and teachers’ feelings about the decision. I facilitated an impromptu weekend meeting of the PSTA Executive to compose a formal letter to the Prairie Spirit Job Action Committee to highlight the concerns of our membership and to encourage the division to try to find a solution that meets the needs of both students and teachers.

As president, it my job to support teachers when a problem arises. Sometimes I am the person asking division senior leaders the questions teachers and administrators don’t feel comfortable asking. HR works for the school division and represents our employer; whereas I work for you and represent you and your needs. In every situation, I try to respond swiftly. I often consult with STF leaders along the way to ensure members have access to all necessary information to inform decision-making and problem-solving. With almost four years’ experience in this role, I have expanded my knowledge of division and STF policies. I feel confident and capable in this leadership role.

This year, I’ve made it my goal to visit each school for a full day at least once. In previous years, Covid restrictions prevented school visits. This year, many of you have seen me set up my office in your staff room to make myself available for your questions and collegial conversations.

As PSTA President, I pledge to continue to maintain the positive and open relationship the PSTA has developed with our board and division staff. At the same time, I will continue to advocate for the needs of teachers with a strong voice. My experience in a variety of K-12 classroom settings, as a special education teacher, and in small and large schools has allowed me to understand the different positions and perspectives of teachers across our division.

The work of the PSTA is incredibly important for the future of our profession and I thank you for putting your trust in me as your representative. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to represent you locally and provincially.

Please vote Scott for PSTA President on March 17^th and 18^th.

Video Responses from the Candidate:

1. What do you think are some strengths of the PSTA? What do you think some areas of improvement for the PSTA are? How will you leverage strengths and plan for improvements, if you are elected president?
2. Can you comment on a time when you led a group of colleagues to implement a change initiative?
3. Maintaining and building trust with the board and the school division are a crucial part of the role as president, and so is advocating for Prairie Spirit teachers. How will you maintain relationships when our interests diverge?
4. What parts of being President would you excel at and what parts might you struggle with?

My name is Meredith Rhinas and I am currently a teacher at Warman High School. I am writing to indicate my intent to allow my name to stand as a candidate for PSTA President.

I am an excellent candidate for PSTA President because our division needs a strong and confident voice for Prairie Spirit teachers. I am an exceptional communicator with the necessary conflict resolution skills required to engage in the difficult but necessary discussions needed to move PSSD forward. I am a community-builder, encouraging others to participate, advocate, and embrace their essential roles within our school division. I am well-spoken, and able to identify and articulate the important issues for the purpose of raising awareness, inspiring change, and motivating action within Prairie Spirit.

Throughout my 15 years as an educator, I have been actively involved as a collaborative colleague, participating in many extracurricular activities, serving on committees, and in formal positions of leadership in schools both internationally and here in PSSD, all of which have helped shape my perspectives as an inclusive educator who values diversity. I also worked at the Prairie Spirit Division Office as an English as an Additional Language Facilitator, working in a capacity-building role designed to empower teachers working with EAL students. Currently, I am the Head of the English Department at Warman High School, as well as a School Staff Liaison. Additionally, recent job action has given me the opportunity to use my voice and platform to reach and connect with thousands of people around Saskatchewan in my goal to advocate for the teaching profession and to educate others on the critical issues facing teachers and students in our schools right now.

Currently, I am working on obtaining my Masters’ Degree in Educational Administration at the U of S. The opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, along with opening doors for future leadership and administrative opportunities, was a natural step in my career path. Over the past year, I have enjoyed my role as a student, engaging actively as a committed participant, with the goal of learning and further developing as an educator in a collaborative and rigorous educational setting.

I have strong administrative and organizational skills, and excellent inter-personal skills that allow me to work well as part of a team, or in a leadership position. I firmly believe that the policies and procedures we put in place now are for the benefit of PSSD teachers for years to come, and as president I would be committed to bringing forth the issues that are most pressing for my colleagues and ensuring that clear policies are in place to back our mandate as educators.

I am passionate about education and believe that teachers who are well-supported, encouraged, and given the opportunity to grow make for educators who inspire the same qualities in their students, fostering learning and achievement in environments we can all take pride in. It would be my great honour to represent the teachers of PSSD in this vital role of advocacy within our division, as PSTA President.

Video Responses from the Candidate:

1. What do you think are some strengths of the PSTA? What do you think some areas of improvement for the PSTA are? How will you leverage strengths and plan for improvements, if you are elected president?
2. Can you comment on a time when you led a group of colleagues to implement a change initiative?
3. Maintaining and building trust with the board and the school division are a crucial part of the role as president, and so is advocating for Prairie Spirit teachers. How will you maintain relationships when our interests diverge?
4. What parts of being President would you excel at and what parts might you struggle with?

The PSTA Executive and standing committee members work to support teachers in Prairie Spirit. Nominations may be made from the floor of the May 16^th Representative Assembly.

Nominee Biographies

Open positions and nominees are as follows:
Vice President
The Representative Assembly elects one vice-president to preside over general meetings of the membership and assist the president in carrying out the responsibilities of the office and assumes the role of president in representing and chairing meetings in the event the president is unable to attend.
Nominees:

1. Heather Wolfe

STF Councillors
There are ten (10) STF Councillor positions available for 2023-2024. STF Councillors sit on the PSTA Executive and represent teachers within the STF. They also attend annual meetings of Council where they learn about educational issues in Saskatchewan, elect the STF Executive, and discuss and debate resolutions to guide the Federation.
Nominees:

1. Amanda Nelson
2. Amy Korver
3. Amy Orth
4. Brett Berry
5. Chad WIlliams
6. Diana Jemieff
7. Dustin Chahley
8. Heather Wolfe
9. Jason Brose
10. Marcy Raciot
11. Mark Perry

Local Implementation and Negotiation Committee
There are six (6) LINC positions available for 2023-2024. LINC members implement, monitor, and negotiate our Local Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Nominees:

1. Amanda Nelson
2. Amy Orth
3. Carmen Kingsbury
4. Cary Pepper-Martens
5. Chad Williams
6. Craig Reinhardt
7. Heather Wolfe
8. Jason Brose

Professional Development Committee
There are five (5) PD Committee positions available for 2023-2024. The PD committee consults and collaborates with PSSD to help meet the professional learning needs of PSTA members. They also plan the PSTA General Assembly, and work to ensure that all provisions related to professional development/adult learning contained within LINC are implemented.
Nominees:

1. Amanda Nelson
2. Amy Korver
3. Lisa Kuchler

Communications Committee
There are three (3) Communications Committee positions available for 2022-2023. The Communications Committee works to enhance communication within the PSTA, and with our education partners and communities. They also work to promote the PSTA and enhance the image of the teaching profession.
Nominees:

The nominations for PSTA Executive and Standing Committees for the 2022-2023 year are now open for the term of one year, from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. 

The PSTA Executive and standing committee members work to support teachers in Prairie Spirit and we hope you will consider becoming a member of the executive or one of our standing committees.

The nomination forms can be downloaded from the PSTA website in the Documents & Forms section.

Nominations close from the floor of the May Representative Assembly on May 17^th, 2022.

Send Nominations to:

• Chief Returning Officer, Amy Korver, Delisle Elementary School, amy.korver@spiritsd.ca
• Please cc all nominations forms to the PSTA President, scott.woods-fehr@spiritsd.ca

The following positions are open for nominations:

• Vice President: The Representative Assembly elects one vice-president to preside over general meetings of the membership and assist the president in carrying out the responsibilities of the office and assumes the role of president in representing and chairing meetings in the event the president is unable to attend.
• STF Councillors: There are ten (10) STF Councillor positions available for 2022-2023. STF Councillors sit on the PSTA Executive and represent teachers within the STF. They also attend annual meetings of Council where they learn about educational issues in Saskatchewan, elect the STF Executive, and discuss and debate resolutions to guide the Federation.
• Local Implementation and Negotiation Committee: There are six (6) LINC positions available for 2022-2023. LINC members implement, monitor, and negotiate our Local Collective Bargaining Agreement. The PSTA has ratified a LINC Agreement for 2020-2023 so there will not be any negotiation meetings this term but it is a good opportunity to learn the role and prepare for future negotiations.
• Professional Development Committee: There are five (5) PD Committee positions available for 2022-2023. The PD committee consults and collaborates with PSSD to help meet the professional learning needs of PSTA members. They also plan the PSTA General Assembly, and work to ensure that all provisions related to professional development/adult learning contained within LINC are implemented.
• Communications Committee: There are three (3) Communications Committee positions available for 2022-2023. The Communications Committee works to enhance communication within the PSTA, and with our education partners and communities. They also work to promote the PSTA and enhance the image of the teaching profession.

Last week, the PSTA Exec developed three questions for PSTA president candidates. They were asked to submit videos addressing the following questions:

1. How have you prepared for the role of president? How do you envision your role as president?  
2. What are the current, most pressing needs of teachers in Prairie Spirit? What impact you do hope to have on the daily lives of teachers in Prairie Spirit?  
3. Maintaining trust with the board and school division is a crucial part of the role of president, as is advocating for Prairie Spirit teachers. How might you maintain relationships when our interests diverge? 

Link for Chad Williams’ video
Link for Scott Woods-Fehr’s video

CANDIDATE FOR PSTA PRESIDENT: Scott Woods-Fehr

My name is Scott Woods-Fehr and I am seeking your vote to represent you as PSTA President for another two years.

Two years ago, I submitted my nomination form for the position of PSTA President. After serving as an STF Councillor on the PSTA Executive for 11 years, I felt I had a good understanding of the role of President and I was ready to apply my experience and skills in a new challenging position. With the support of a strong PSTA Executive and my previous experience, I was excited and prepared to represent Prairie Spirit teachers. And then the COVID pandemic changed everything. Previous questions and requests for support around professional and assigned time, prep time, and leaves were ongoing but suddenly a large portion of requests for support focused on new concerns like blended learning, quarantine leave, safety measures, and vaccination policies.

The PSTA Executive has had many successes in the past two years as we transitioned our General Assembly, Executive and Representative Meetings and elections online. And my tech skills and passion for technology have been assets. I have made the operations of the PSTA more efficient with tech features to increase quality of communication and overall transparency including online claim forms and email money transfers to reimburse members and transparent with an updated website where I have posted our governance documents to make them more easily accessible to PSTA members.

Since my term began in July 2020, I have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for collaboration between the PSTA and PSSD leaders. I am reminded that the only way the PSTA can accomplish our goals and support teachers is through positive collaboration with our Senior Administrative Staff in the division office. When it was apparent teachers would not be using personal leave days for trips and family obligations, I had the opportunity to work with Superintendent of Human Resources, Jon Yellowlees to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to allow teachers to carryover an additional 2 personal leave days to the next year. The number of days a teacher can carryover is outlined in our LINC Agreement so it was an area we have a shared voice with the Division in the direction and implementation of our Agreement. There have also been times when a decision is outside of the responsibilities of the PSTA and we need to lean on the strength of our positive relationship with Prairie Spirit Administrative Staff and the Prairie Spirit School Board.

I have learned that sometimes even with a positive collaborative relationship, the PSTA is unable to do more than investigate, understand the rationale and share the concerns of teachers we represent. The sudden introduction of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation led to a school calendar change to include an unanticipated holiday where requirements for assigned time and instructional time left few options to address the calendar change. The division had to move a day-in-lieu from this spring to accommodate the new holiday and understandably, many teachers were unhappy with the decision. I did my best to help concerned teachers understand the complexities surrounding calendar development. And I shared concerns of teachers with our Director of Education and Human Resources Superintendent so they understood the impact this change had on teachers and how significant the loss of a day-in-lieu after evenings of interviews is to teachers especially in the context of educating in a pandemic.

As PSTA President, I pledge to continue to maintain the positive and open relationship the PSTA has developed with our board and division staff. At the same time, I will continue to advocate for the needs of teachers with a strong voice. My experience in a variety of K-12 classroom settings, as a special education teacher, and in small and large schools has allowed me to understand the different positions and perspectives of teachers across our division.

The work of the PSTA is incredibly important for the future of our profession and I thank you for putting your trust in me as your representative and hope to have the opportunity to continue to represent you locally and provincially. I hope you will consider my name when you vote for PSTA President.

CANDIDATE FOR PSTA PRESIDENT: Chad Williams

My name is Chad Williams and I currently teach grade two at Venture Heights and pre-service teachers in Curriculum Studies at the U of S. I am eager and excited to accept the nomination for Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association president, and I am seeking your support.

I am currently in my 14th year of teaching, and in my 12th year with Prairie Spirit School Division where I have taught elementary, middle years and high school. I have been fortunate to be a part of K-8, K-12, and 9-12 schools. These experiences are necessary and pivotal in ensuring the president speaks for all teachers in our school division.

In addition to my role as a classroom teacher with PSSD, I currently hold or have held the following positions:

• PSTA councillor
• Member of the LINC committee
• Member of the PD committee
• Chair of the LGBTQ2S ad hoc committee

I currently sit on the following Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation / Canadian Teachers’ Federation committees:

• Supporting Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Mathematics Working Committee (STF)
• Practicum Advisory Committee (U of S – STF)
• Advisory Committee on Diversity and Human Rights – Alternate (CTF)
• Professional Growth Network – Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society – Past-President (STF)

My experience working closely with PSSD and the STF will ensure we maintain positive relationships and productive dialogue, while supporting and advocating for teachers and students.

As we continue to work closely with PSSD over the next two years, I believe we need to focus on the following:

• Staff and student well-being
• Teacher intensification with EDSBY roll out
• Lasting effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning
• Data collection to better prepare for next LINC negotiation
• Better understand the impact of Learning Facilitators

My experience in teaching, committee work, and professional development facilitation has given me the skills, knowledge, and experiences to be the stronger voice for teachers the PSTA needs as president.

If you have any questions regarding my potential leadership as PSTA president, feel free to reach out via email at chad.williams@spiritsd.ca. I would be happy to continue conversations with PSSD teachers around what matters to you.

Regards,
Chad Williams