3.4 "Having The Guts To Run A Campaign Is A Thing"

Episode Abstract With trustee elections happening at the end of October 2026 in Manitoba, we decided to speak to someone who has served as a trustee in Winnipeg for the last four years. Our guest reflects on what motivated them to run to become a trustee, what the role actually entails, and how trustees balance the needs and interests of students, families, educators, and the broader community. We consider what would be lost if locally elected school boards are centralized or eliminated, and how trustees’ local knowledge and relationships can make a difference in the schools they represent. The conversation also examines the role of school boards in advancing the public school ideal—including universal access, equal opportunity, public funding, public governance, and serving the public interest—and how meeting this ideal is increasingly difficult in the context of inadequate funding. Finally, we turn to issues shaping the prairie context, from changes to teacher regulation and certification to organized efforts to influence or take over school boards, and ask what voters should consider when choosing their trustees. Throughout, the episode invites us to think about school trusteeship not simply as a political position, but as a form of local democratic stewardship of public education. Guest Bio Tamara Kuly is currently in her first term as School Trustee for the Winnipeg School Division, having held key positions including chairing Finance and Governance committees as well as serving as Board Chair during her second year in office. Outside of trustee work, Tamara works as the Manager of Finance and Administration at North Point Douglas Women’s Centre and consults with local businesses and organizations to develop community-led plans. Tamara lives with her family in the North End of Winnipeg. Credits The show's producers are Melanie Janzen & Shannon D.M. Moore. The co-hosts are Shannon D.M. Moore & Justin Fraser. The technical producer is Devin King. The cover art is by political cartoonist, Chris Chuckry. The songs 26 Ghosts III, 16 Ghosts II, and 35 Ghosts IV by Nine Inch Nails are used through a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/.