Elect
NANCY CLOSE
for CBE School Board TrusteeWards 11 & 13
Make a Plan to Vote
Election Day is Monday October 18th, polls are open from 8am to 8pm.
Advanced polls are open Monday October 4th to Sunday October 10th with various hours each day. The information is available through Elections Calgary website with additional resources for voters including candidates for school trustees and mayor.
You can request your mail-in ballot if you will be away on election day, if you have a disability, or if you will be working on election day.
"This is a critical time in the history of public education. Ensuring every single child in our city goes to an excellent school is the foundation for our success. My commitment is to making Calgary a place where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, starting with our public schools."
About Nancy
I am a lifelong, passionate advocate for public education and served as a CBE school board trustee from 1999-2007.
My 3 children all graduated from CBE schools, and my granddaughter has started her CBE journey.
For the past decade, I worked with Mayor Nenshi leading files on education, civic engagement, mental health and addiction, and poverty.
Since 2008, I have served on the Board of Governors of EducationMatters, which engages our community to donate and support student success in our public school system.
I am ready to come back and serve Calgarians as a trustee at this pivotal time.
"It's all about community and student success..."
Read the article in Livewire Calgary ➞
Why I'm running
Running for election as a school board trustee wasn’t an easy decision and it wasn’t a decision I was expecting to make!
I can't retire when I know I can make a difference for our students, for families and our community. My experience working in Mayor's Nenshi's office, together with my previous experience as a public school board trustee have helped me recognize that school boards can make a difference, and can take action to engage our community and impact student success.
Schools are the heart of each of our communities brought to life by people who collectively care about student success: our incredibly dedicated classroom teachers and principals, school councils, administrators, school staff, parents and families, and of course our amazing students.
We can work together to strengthen an already excellent public education system.
Our students need a modern and inclusive curriculum. The provincial draft curriculum is unacceptable and must be withdrawn in favour of one that is collaborative and prepares our students for the future. Our students deserve a curriculum development process that everyone can trust and support.
It was disappointing to see the slow CBE response to a student-led petition to change the name of Langevin School. Policy can empower great decisions, and lack of policy shouldn’t stop leadership or action.
I do not support closing schools. Challenges related to school buildings, both new and old, remain. We need a meaningful community discussion about who builds school buildings, who owns them, and who uses them.
Increased challenges related to physical and mental health are looming. As a community we need to address the grief, pain and uncertainty we all feel as a result of the pandemic. Each of us are affected by the pandemic, especially our teaching staff, families and children.
I am motivated. I care. I have the experience to revisit and reimagine how we work together to support student success.
Let’s change the conversation together and make change happen for Calgary's families and their children.
Notes from the Campaign Trail
Every Monday, I share a quick update about our campaign engagement and conversations, along with suggested actions that we can take as a community to help our CBE public school system be even better!
"Our CBE public school board has three responsibilities. In addition to governance, I want to ensure that we fulfill our roles as representatives and advocates, so that CBE is the best choice for Calgary students. I would be honoured to be your choice for Wards 11 and 13."
My Values
- CBE schools should be the best choice for Calgary families. Schools are the heart of each of our communities and we can work together to strengthen an already excellent public education system that includes a modern and inclusive curriculum.
- Neighbourhood schools where kids can safely walk or bike to school are critical to student and community success.
- School closures shouldn’t be inevitable. We can no longer afford single purpose school buildings. We need to explore collaborative solutions, including co-locating community spaces in schools.
- The pandemic revealed that children face many complex, often intersecting challenges. The CBE must partner with other governments and agencies to tackle these barriers and meet students’ needs.
My Commitment
- Maximizing dollars and resources to support student success.
- Strategic oversight and risk management of CBE’s operations.
- Ensuring all students complete high school with a foundation of learning that supports them for the rest of their lives.
I want to build on my knowledge, skills, and ability to bring people together to work differently and together to help CBE become Calgary parents' best and first choice for their children’s public education experience.
403-470-0379
