Former Saskatchewan Rivers School Division Board of Education Trustee Jaimie Smith-Windsor was recognized by her peers with a Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) Life Membership.
Smith-Windsor received the honour at the at the recent SSBA AGM Banquet. The SSBA Life Membership is awarded to school board members who’ve served at the provincial and national levels.
Smith-Windsor served as both President and Vice President of the SSBA and Vice President of the Canadian School Boards Association before her defeat in the 2024 election
“I think it’s meant to be recognition of contributions to education in Saskatchewan, but it was really just a really nice time to go back and reconnect with colleagues doing really good work in education,” Smith-Windsor said.
The award was presented by Lt.-Gov. Bernadette McIntyre during the SSBA’s Annual General Assembly on Nov. 17.
“It was really nice to see,” Smith-Windsor said. “The Lieutenant Governor McIntyre was there really early in her new service in her role. That was really nice, to have her strong support for publicly funded education throughout the evening, presenting awards and being present.”
Smith-Windsor added that it was nice to see MLAs from both the NDP and Saskatchewan Party in attendance.
“That’s always really good to see that kind of strong support for school boards and for local governance and also for publicly funded education,” she said,
There were also partners in education such as the FSIN and MN-S who made speeches along with the CSBA. Smith-Windsor said it was really an All Star team of school boards in Saskatchewan in attendance.
“(It’s) a lot of fun and just such a warm, warm reception and great way to celebrate,” she said.
In her time as a trustee, Smith-Windsor was noted for her passion for the work that can be done in school board governance.
“It was also really nice to be able to bring my family into that room, because I come from a family that really strongly values publicly funded education and a unified single system that delivers high quality education,” Smith-Windsor said.
“I grew up with that value of placing importance on education and recognizing education as a greater good and as a great equalizer,” she added.
She noted that it was nice to connect her family to the SSBA with the celebration.
“It was nice to be able to bring threads of my own family and give them thanks for how they have supported me over the last 15 years in my own contributions to education in Saskatchewan. That was really special,” she said.
Her husband and daughter were in attendance but her sons Sullivan Smith-Windsor and Taz Smith-Windsor could not attend as they were preparing for the Vanier Cup.
“We had strong representation from my family and I was able to thank them because for me to be able to have provided service for 15 years meant that they needed to step up and support me in my role. That was actually a really nice full circle way to include their stories and recognize their support over the years as well,” she said.
Smith-Windsor represented Subdivision 3 from 2009 to 2024. Subdivision 3 represents Christopher Lake, Candle Lake, Meath Park and surrounding rural areas. She said that she was grateful to have had such a long career
“There’s only one way to exit politics if you run again and that’s if you lose,” she said. “I think 15 years in any elected position is a long time and I’m grateful for every one of those 15 years and being able to have the trust of communities.
“I’m able to do some policy consultancy type work now. It’s just less public facing. I think when you’re committed to something you just find different ways to contribute.”
In her speech, Smith-Windsor spoke about another passion from her time as a trustee and SSBA executive member, inclusion. She said that it remains a key part of the SSBA’s Strategic Plan.
“I think that was something that was very personally and professionally motivating for me as a trustee to work towards,” she said. “Inclusive education is just such a huge priority for the education sector right now and that work is ongoing and never finished.
“It was just a really nice time to reflect on the different ways that inclusive education is rolling out across the province, but also the history of it as well.”
She said that in her speech she reflected on seeing Ruby Bridges, the girl who desegregated schools in the United States, speak in New Orleans.
“She underscored the importance of school boards and made a really very profound statement that really stuck with me over the years, which is that it was boards of education that upheld segregationist policies and it was also boards of education that were instrumental in desegregating schools and working to unite communities through inclusion,” Smith-Windsor said.
She said that parallels what is going on in Saskatchewan and Canada where school boards work to unify communities through education and specifically publicly funded education.
“When you think of the history of residential schools and those kinds of things, that underscores that work. When you think about the inclusion of persons with disabilities, that work is still underway,” Smith-Windsor said.
“Those were a few of the things I reflected on, just because it was very personally and professionally important to me through my time as a trustee to have a platform for voices who don’t always make it into the room and at those tables.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
