School trustees met with local students in Morden recently in advance of Western School Division introducing its proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year.
It has been an annual initiative for the board for a number of years now, and it is an important opportunity that brings together students to speak directly with board members and administrators about their school experiences, concerns, and hopes for the future.
“It’s a great exercise for us, and it’s really a breath of fresh air,” said board chairperson Darcy Wolfe. “When you sit down with a group of kids from Gr. 4 to Gr. 12, it gives you a chance to talk about school in a lighthearted way … but also really learn from them.
“It’s one of the most impactful times that we have every year as trustees, sitting down with them, and we get to see and hear from the students who we are impacting with the decisions that we make,” he added.
At the Feb. 26 forum, discussion tables were organized around the division’s priorities including improving learning, strengthening community relationships, and ensuring students have a voice in their education. Each table included a trustee and/or school administrator and a mix of students from different grades and schools.
“I think often trustees hear from staff, they hear from parents, and we hear from other adults, and this is a good chance for us to take some time aside, sit down and actually talk with the people who are the reason why we are here,” Wolfe said of the opportunity to connect directly with students. “We talk a little bit about their experiences in school. We try to make it fun; we play some games, and we ask them a few questions.”
Wolfe said the forums do influence their budget decisions each year.
“Every year we hear new things from the students,” he said, citing such examples as wanting more sports or music equipment or having problems with the technology in schools or even having ideas for new classes.
Another thing they have heard about is students wanting to learn about financial literacy, which he noted will be part of a new Gr. 9 math curriculum.
“Often, mental health is a huge one,” Wolfe said. “Some students are thriving, but some of them are struggling and need some more support. It’s something that we definitely take seriously and something that we do allocate budget dollars for to try to help students who are having a bit of a tougher time in school.
“They’ll mention a whole host of different things,” he said. “It definitely impacts our board priorities. We go to develop those priorities every four years, and we do take into account a compilation of the things that we have heard at the student leadership forums, and it goes directly into helping guide those priorities.”
