Ray Buziak

I moved to GP in 1978 to teach grade 5 at Hillside and taught here until I retired in December 2020. I was elected for the first time as a Trustee in October 2021. The best part of being a Trustee is the opportunity to work with the other trustees, senior administration and other boards and agencies to set priorities which are good for our division, and which help to influence the provincial agenda in a way that maintains the health, viability and success of public education in Alberta. Outside of being a Trustee, much of my time is devoted to supporting my family. I take a turn with my five siblings supporting my aging mother and helping her meet her needs. I am a sports fan and follow most major sports like hockey, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, football. I enjoy golfing in the summer and walks year-round. Public education must continue to be free, high quality and universally accessible to all families regardless of socio-economic status or background. It shouldn't have to compete with private and charter schools for tax dollars. It must continue to be adequately funded and continue to be staffed by well-educated, certificated professional teachers and other professionals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to diagnose and to treat student learning and other needs in concert with families and other relevant community agencies. My personal priorities for the division include: To advocate for a curriculum that will facilitate the development of engaged citizens capable of higher-level thinking who can solve problems and work effectively with others. To advocate for fair and adequate funding so we can continue to offer quality programming for all students and can continue to attract and retain the best and the brightest staff to help address the needs of our students. To treat our employees fairly by striving to maintain safe, well supported workspaces that enable our employees to do their best work with and for our students and their families.