Shelburne school board trustee looks ahead to new four-year term

December 20, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By JASEN OBERMEYER

Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) trustee Lynn Topping is looking forward to another four years as trustee for northern Dufferin.

Already a trustee for the past 14 years, and a resident of Shelburne for 44, she was re-elected in the October municipal election. She defeated Alethia O’Hara Stephenson, receiving 1,066 votes to Stephenson’s 532.

Speaking to the Free Press, Ms. Topping said she looks to continue with the French Immersion Program, now implemented at Centennial Hylands Elementary, which according to her, “cut the travelling time for a lot of students.”

She said one of the reasons she decided to run again was to finish the French Immersion Program. “I was one of the people that initiated moving it into Dufferin for our students.”

She added, “Right now, we’re working at the secondary level to try and make it that Dufferin students will be able to continue into secondary school rather than having to go into Erin. In Erin, they can’t have part-time jobs, they can’t do extra curricular activities because of the busing situation, and the time essence.”

She noted for students in north Dufferin, “it’s even more time consuming to go down to Erin.”

Moving on, Ms. Topping discussed the sex-ed program, and Premier Doug Ford’s decision to scrap it and go back to the 1998 program. “We move with the times. If we’re using new terminology, we need to teach it to the, and it’s part of our job, as parents and the school, to be part of that.”

At the UGDSB swearing in ceremony and inaugural meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 4, Ms. Topping was elected as Chair of the Program Committee. “I have chaired this once before. I want to have the best for the kids in the programs.”

She added that parents, government, and the school board must work together for the betterment of the students. “Making sure we can stay within the guidelines of what our new government will put down in financial areas that will allow us to continue to support our students, in a way they need to be supported, whether it’s through technology, accessibility, I want what’s best for the students.”