Kimberly Cichon, a candidate in the Calgary Catholic School District byelection, has a passion for Catholic education.

As a candidate for Wards 11 and 12, Cichon decided to run because of her background in the Catholic faith and faith-based education. Cichon has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in special education from Our Lady Of The Lake University in Texas. She also has a certification in child and youth care from Hull Child and Family Services.

“When I started teaching a long time ago, I worked in public schools, and I worked with some of the most vulnerable kids – kids who were not able to be in regular high schools because of their mental and social health … To be able to speak to those students without the eternal truths was quite a challenge,” she told LWC in an interview.

“I have six kids, and education is important to me, and supporting Catholic schools is important to me, it’s been important to me through my work with at the district level … Just celebrating the great works that Catholic education does, and just within my own children’s experience, I think that we have this gift, and we need to preserve it and celebrate it.”

Cichon and her husband are also small business owners, and she said the management skills she learned along the way will help her be a better trustee if she is elected.

“Working with human relations running a business and marketing and speaking well of something and ensuring the morale of employees are all things that I can integrate into this role well,” she said.

“Having been a mother, I have to negotiate every day, right? I have to make compromises every day. I have to make decisions every day for the good of the whole and the good of individuals, and that would be true too with all of my work, whether that be in education, social work with a small business or at home.”

CCSD’s pressing issues

Budgetary concerns are a big overarching issue for many CCSD schools. While the district ended the 2023-2024 fiscal year with a $8.4 million surplus (a $17 million deficit was originally budgeted), the extra money was largely due to additional provincial funding during the year and higher revenue from investment income and selling property.

Cichon said trustees need to be able to advocate for more funding and more resources at the provincial level, and that CCSD students need to have the best resources to succeed.

She added these issues cannot be solved overnight, and collaboration and consultation with community members and experienced stakeholders are also needed to drive effective change.

“We are trying to form them to be good citizens, and we can’t do that with a lack of funds,” she said.

“That being said, we come from the lens of the Catholic Church, and historically, when we’re doing things well, we know how to make much out of little. So, I think that that’s part of the story is engaging community, engaging families, engaging teachers so that everybody feels well supported, and we can serve our students so that they can reach their highest potential.”

On the topic of capacity issues, Cichon said the CCSD is going through a time of great challenge but also one of great opportunity.

Around 30 Catholic schools in Calgary had a utilization rate of 100 per cent or higher in October 2024, and around 63,519 students were enrolled as of Sept. 27, 2024 (a three per cent increase year-over-year).

Cichon said she wants to look at individual schools and identify and celebrate what is working well while also talking to the province about what isn’t working.

She added that the board can utilize community partnerships to develop tools for teachers and help students succeed.

“Alberta has the lowest funded [public school systems]. We need to do better,” she added.

“I know economically across the board, all of Canada is having a difficult time. But as I said before, our kids are our greatest treasure, and we want them to achieve and be successful and not feel left behind, and each reach their fullest potential.”

Indigenous Education

Indigenous Education is one of four pillars and priorities of the CCSD Board of Trustees. In September, the CCSD pledged to empower Indigenous youth in their schools ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This includes having an Indigenous Education Team made up of four Indigenous teacher consultants and five cultural liaisons from different cultural backgrounds Dene, Cherokee, Stoney Nakoda, Piikani and Cree.

Cichon said the CCSD has a lot of work to do to better serve Indigenous students and help them achieve academic success. She said she will try and build relationships with Indigenous students, families and communities by listening to their stories with compassion.

“I think being heard and understood and looked at with compassion and love is and to celebrate together as communities are, are essential to being in relationship with everybody,” Cichon said.

“That would apply not only to Indigenous communities but any communities where we’re having quite an influx of communities from everywhere. So what, what can they teach us, and how can we support them, and how can we all grow together?”

The CCSD byelection is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance polls is scheduled for Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about how and where to vote, please visit the Elections Calgary website.