Sheelah Donahue—experienced, committed and ready to get to work for our students.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
POSITIVE VOICES MARCH 25, 2025
Why did you decide to seek this position?
I'm running for re-election because our students deserve an excellent educational experience full of opportunities that prepare them for the paths they choose in life. It is well-known that we have one of the top school districts in Canada. As a school trustee for eight years, I always strived to support the best learning environment for students, and I hope to be part of a board that continues this work. As a trustee, I will always be focused on advocating for more funding for West Vancouver schools, our students, and staff, and using that funding in the most impactful way. I cannot overstate how important this is to me—especially with an increasingly competitive post-secondary environment and globalized job market.
How have you prepared yourself for this important role?
My journey will be familiar to parents connected with their school communities. Like many parents, I attended my elementary school Parent Advisory Council (PAC) at Gleneagles- Ch’axáý then joined Rockridge PAC as co-chair for several years. From there, I served on the District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) executive and finished my time there as DPAC chair. These experiences were excellent preparation for the role of trustee because parent groups, represented by DPAC, are partners with the school district. They interact together on many levels including budget consultation, establishment of programs, and act in an advisory capacity. In 2014 I was elected to the school board and served as a trustee until 2022. During this time my role included:
• Vice Chair, School Board
• Vice Chair, Human Resources Committee
• Chair, Audit Committee
• Vice Chair, Finance and Facilities
• Co-Chair, Joint School Traffic and Safety Round Table
• Trustee Representative, Joint Indigenous Education Council
• Professional Learning Committee Branch Representative, British Columbia
School Trustees Association (BCSTA)
• Delegate, BCSTA Provincial Council
• Executive, BCSTA Metro Branch
• Liaison, BC Public Schools Employers’ Association
• Representative, English Language Learners (ELL) Metro Consortium
• Trustee Liaison to all schools and many community groups
In addition to my work in education, I spent many years in the insurance industry and I understand risk management practices. I was a director on sports boards serving Bowen Island, Lions Bay, and West Vancouver, each of which is unique—especially with respect to the learning culture and student transportation. I’m currently a director of the West Vancouver Historical Society.
West Vancouver has long provided public education characterized by excellence. In this context, what does "excellence" mean to you?
Our school district is the envy of the province. Families in our three communities are deeply invested in education and entrust public schools with their children. Parents expect and deserve excellence and opportunity for every child, including those who have diverse learning needs and areas of special interest or aptitude. It is imperative that trustees place student success ahead of all other concerns and seek ongoing feedback on student achievement with respect to local, provincial, national and international data driven assessment metrics.
Creating a culture of excellence means that our school district must attract top notch staff and keep them. We must provide an environment in which innovative best practices thrive. We must provide students with a broad range of excellent academic programs that include space to achieve at a high level, like International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, and French Immersion; and that maintain well-executed supports for diverse learners, and those learning English.
Opportunities outside the classroom are an essential part of an excellent education. Our school district has many academies, special courses and programs to support students who compete internationally in sports, music, robotics and other areas that require scheduling accommodations and special instruction. Students who do not thrive in conventional classrooms have access to programs adapted to suit unique needs and challenges. Schools on Bowen Island and in Lions Bay are hubs for community activity, and other sites offer childcare and early learning opportunities. All of these things together contribute to West Vancouver School District’s reputation for excellence.
The role of school trustee is not always well understood by the general public. How would you define the role of school trustee? What should trustees do, and what should they not do?
Good trustees work productively and effectively on behalf of students with all levels of government in spite of shifting political landscapes. They should create an optimistic and collaborative board culture that sets the tone for the district, and that has a positive cascade effect throughout the system. When making decisions, the first question should always be “Is this good for our students?”
Although trustees make many decisions, they do not participate in operational matters, nor do they have authority to overturn or influence issues governed by federal or provincial mandates. However, they must understand parent concerns, take them seriously, listen compassionately, and provide appropriate advice. Trustees must also work collaboratively with the District Parent Advisory Council and welcome its right to give advice to the board on any matter pertaining to education.
Legislation and local policy and procedures guide the role of trustees. They are responsible for managing school properties and must pass a balanced budget. They decide disciplinary matters and approve special courses, academies and projects like the West Vancouver Place for Sport, and complementary endeavours like childcare and early learning programs. Most importantly, they are responsible for student achievement, should always put students first and must strive for continuous improvement in every way.
As a trustee, you would become an important advocate for public education. What are your thoughts on how best to accomplish this?
Being an effective advocate for public education means putting students first and listening to the parent community. It means having an awareness of how collective agreements impact the classroom and knowing how local, provincial and federal decisions impact schools and learners, and then doing everything possible to advocate for more resources in local classrooms. It also means campaigning through the British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSTA) for more local autonomy and flexibility in the provincial funding model.
West Vancouver trustees have a history of being active regionally and provincially through the BCSTA. This helps our trustees become familiar with best practices in other districts and is the means by which they advocate for our students with the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care. In my previous terms as a trustee, I was actively engaged in advocacy for our students through my work with the following groups:
- BCSTA Professional Learning Committee Branch Representative (elected)
- BCSTA Provincial Council Delegate (appointed)
- BCSTA Metro Branch Executive (elected)
- BC Public Schools Employers’ Association Liaison
- English Language Learners (ELL) Metro Consortium Representative
District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) Candidate Meeting, March 5, 2025
DPAC provided the following questions to be answered within four minutes. It is impossible to fully address the questions within the time provided so these answers are very brief and only scratch the surface. In short, I'm running for re-election because public education is a cornerstone of our community and part of the foundation upon which our children build their lives. I can’t overstate how important this is to me—especially with an increasingly competitive post-secondary environment and globalized job market.
1. Connection to Our Community: How have you been previously engaged with the school district? (e.g., School PAC, attended DPAC meetings, attended Board meetings)
My journey will be a familiar one to those connected with their school communities. I first became active in Rockridge PAC and made my way to DPAC rep and DPAC chair — then I was elected to the school board. I missed only one meeting in nine years and since November, when it became apparent there would be a by-election, I’ve attended all Finance and Facilities, Human Resources, and board meetings.
2. What is your understanding of the role of Trustee, and how will you balance governance with the responsibilities of school district staff?
In terms of the role, which is set out in the School Act and local policy and procedures, trustees hire the superintendent, who is responsible for all operations. Trustees are also responsible for student achievement and passing a balanced budget, and disciplinary matters. School boards are corporate boards and although trustees make many decisions, not interfering in operations and creating a positive and collaborative board culture sets the tone for the leadership team and that has a positive cascade effect throughout the system. Some of my strongest governance skills include having a good relationship with the current board and leadership team, I handle differences of opinion respectfully and cooperatively, and I never lose sight of the reason we’re here—the students.
3. Day-to-Day Decision Making: How would you balance the diverse opinions of parents while ensuring district policies support all students?
It is very important to listen compassionately to parents, and then give appropriate advice. Where it becomes tricky is that the School Act prohibits trustees from intervening on behalf of individuals or special interest groups—DPAC is an exception—so it’s important to be up front with parents about the boundaries in the trustee role, and not give the impression that trustees have the ability to impact things outside their role—especially around human rights, legislation or government mandates.
4. Supporting Student Success: What do you believe is the most important factor in ensuring student success in our district?
Creating a culture that attracts top notch staff, and then keeping them, is really important. We must also provide students with a broad range of excellent academic programs that provide space to achieve at a high level, like IB, AP, and French Immersion, and includes well-executed supports for diverse learners, and ELL.
I’m proud to say I was on the board that approved the Cedardale IB program—the first of its kind in Canada.
Trustees are key decision-makers in all of this. It’s not always smooth sailing but the first priority must be “Is it good for students?” and then “how can we be even better”.
5. Financial Stewardship: Can you explain how the district’s budget is developed, and what you see as a financial challenge for the Board?
Over 85 % of the budget is salaries and benefits. For the remainder, there must be robust consultation with all stakeholder groups, especially parents and DPAC. This informs how the discretionary dollars are spent.
6. Addressing Challenges: Can you share a specific example of a challenge facing WVS and how you would approach it as a Trustee?
Challenges constantly emerge—I have worked through many during my time on the school board. The most persistent one is funding and there’s always a structural deficit. The international program helps a lot, trustees also approve academies and programs of choice to increase enrolment, and look at other means of generating local revenue. The bottom line, though, is tough financial times are here to stay and trustees must look for savings everywhere to avoid making cuts in the classroom.
7. Facilities Given that our school district has static enrolment and will not qualify for new school funding from the Province, how would you propose improving school facilities within the current funding model?
As far as new schools and provincial funding go, we’re never getting to the top of that list because of the way the current model is structured. However, the district could raise money for buildings by selling sites—although most are owned by the province. It’s not simple, and there are considerations—once you sell something it’s gone forever and the community depends on the sites for sports and recreation, There are innovative projects happening in other districts we could look to, along with opportunities for funding partnerships. It's also important that trustees are active regionally and provincially through the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) to advocate effectively for provincial change that benefits West Vancouver students.
8. Prioritizing the School District’s Future: What do you believe is the most important priority in the Board’s strategic plan?
The Strategic Plan has many important components and the importance of Vision cannot be understated. Trustees need to make data-driven decisions that will enhance personalized learning, educational excellence, and support systems for learners well into the future. We’re the envy of other districts for good reason and we need to keep that going, and I ask for your support so we can make that happen together.
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