With a large number of candidates seeking election as School Trustee in RETSD Ward 4, voters have an important choice to make. Three trustees will be elected to represent Ward 4 on the River East Transcona School Board.

Throughout my campaign, I have tried to make my positions, priorities and views as transparent as possible. My Campaign News section contains statements on many of the issues that I believe are important to students, parents, taxpayers and our school community.

I encourage Ward 4 residents to read these posts and learn about my approach before making their decision.

If there is an issue on which my position is unclear, or if you would like to know more about how I would approach a particular matter as a trustee, please feel free to contact me. I welcome questions and the opportunity to explain my views directly.

An informed decision is an important part of every election, and I believe voters should have the information they need to make that decision for themselves.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

A strong public school system does far more than teach reading, writing and mathematics. It helps young people learn to think independently, assess information critically and prepare for responsible, self-determined lives.

I believe raising children is primarily the responsibility of their parents. Public schools have an important complementary role: they support families and provide additional guidance where it is needed. Neither can fulfil this responsibility alone.

A free and democratic society needs people who understand both their rights and their responsibilities. Human dignity, individual freedom, mutual respect and the rule of law must be part of everyday life—not just words on paper.

For me, democratic education also means helping students develop their own judgment. Young people should learn to question information and decisions, listen to different perspectives and advocate change peacefully through democratic and lawful means. Schools should encourage independent thought, not prescribe a political opinion.

Public schools bring children from different family, social and cultural backgrounds together. Every child should have a fair opportunity to learn, regardless of a family’s financial resources.

This important work depends on qualified and adequately supported teachers, educational assistants and other staff. It also calls for resources that reflect real educational needs, and transparent decisions about how public money is used.

Our children are our future. Investing in their education is an investment in our community, our country and the world our children will help shape. This is a shared responsibility of parents, schools and society.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

The safety of our children must always come first. Every parent should be confident that their child is learning in a safe and secure environment, and every teacher and staff member deserves the same protection.

At the same time, I firmly believe that our schools must remain welcoming places. They are part of our communities, where children learn, parents participate, and families feel welcome. We should not turn them into fortresses.

Safety and openness are not mutually exclusive. We can, and should, achieve both.

Practical Measures Instead of Excessive Security

I support reasonable and effective controls over access to school buildings.

Secondary and side entrances should generally remain locked from the outside during instructional hours, while emergency exits must remain fully functional. Visitors should be directed to a clearly identified main entrance, where they can be acknowledged and registered by school staff.

Where an entrance cannot be properly monitored by staff, additional measures such as video intercoms, electronically controlled doors, or a controlled entrance area may be appropriate.

Cameras may provide additional protection in certain circumstances, but their use should be carefully considered, with appropriate safeguards for privacy.

I do not believe that every school needs permanent security personnel, extensive surveillance systems, or expensive structural modifications simply to create a greater appearance of security.

The objective must be effective protection, not maximum security at any cost.

What Is Already Being Done?

Manitoba has directed school divisions to review their safety and controlled-access procedures. RETSD already has emergency response protocols, visitor management procedures, and established safety practices.

Furthermore, RETSD's approved 2026–27 budget includes funding for improvements to school access security.

I welcome these measures. However, before committing additional public funds, I believe we need a clear understanding of what is already in place, which schools may require improvements, and what those improvements would cost.

We should also examine documented safety incidents, distinguish actual threats from precautionary emergency responses, and consider the experience of other Manitoba school divisions.

Responsible Decisions and Public Accountability

Every school building is different. A measure that makes sense in one location may be unnecessary or impractical in another.

Decisions should therefore be based on individual risk assessments, professional recommendations, actual needs, and transparent cost estimates.

Where provincial funding is available, it should be considered before additional costs are passed on to local taxpayers.

Equally important are well-trained staff, clear emergency procedures, effective communication with parents, and a respectful school environment.

As a school trustee, I would expect these factors to be carefully examined before supporting major new expenditures.

My Position

Student safety comes first. That is not negotiable.

But protecting our children does not mean isolating our schools from the communities they serve.

I support practical, proportionate, and financially responsible safety measures that address genuine risks while preserving a welcoming learning environment.

Our children deserve safe schools. Our families deserve access and trust. And our taxpayers deserve responsible decisions based on facts.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

When I decided to run for School Trustee in Ward 4, my reason was not to seek a political title. I want to contribute practical experience, independent judgement, and a willingness to ask questions to a Board whose decisions affect children, families, staff, schools, and taxpayers.

My connection to RETSD is personal. My daughter attended RETSD, and three of my grandchildren attend RETSD schools today. That gives me a strong personal interest in the quality of education and support children receive. At the same time, I do not believe a trustee should look only at one family or one school. The responsibility is broader.

Residents of Ward 4 elect their trustees, and I believe those residents deserve representatives who listen to them and bring their concerns to the Board table. But once at that table, every decision must also be considered for its impact on the division as a whole. For me, representing Ward 4 and serving the entire RETSD are not competing responsibilities; they belong together.

My first priority is that students have the conditions they need to learn: safe and well-equipped schools, teachers and staff who are supported in their work, and additional help for children whose individual needs require it. Fairness does not always mean giving every child exactly the same thing. Sometimes it means providing different levels of support so that each child has a real opportunity to succeed.

Good intentions must also be financially responsible. My background in business and economics leads me to look closely not only at how much money is spent, but how and for what it is spent. A budget should reflect clear priorities, and taxpayers should be able to understand what those priorities are. Spending decisions should be tied to genuine needs, a clear purpose, and the benefit they are intended to provide.

Transparency is essential. If a Board decision is divided, I believe the public should be able to see that it was divided and, where the applicable rules permit, how trustees voted. A 5:4 decision should not leave the public with the impression that there was no disagreement. People deserve a clear record of how important decisions were reached.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

The River East Transcona Teachers’ Association (RETTA) recently invited candidates for School Trustee to respond to a series of questions concerning public education and the future of our school division.

I welcomed the opportunity to participate and have submitted my completed questionnaire. The questions covered several important areas: the purpose of public education, school funding, safety in schools, support for teachers and staff, equity and inclusion, and the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in education.

My responses reflect several principles that are important to me as a candidate for School Trustee in Ward 4.

 

Public Education and Opportunity

I believe public education has one of the most important responsibilities in our society: every child should have access to an excellent education regardless of the financial circumstances of their family.

Education provides young people with knowledge and skills, but it also helps them develop independence, judgment and the ability to participate successfully in society. My vision for RETSD is therefore based on high educational standards, fair access, strong schools, supported educators and responsible use of public resources.

Every student should have the opportunity to develop their abilities and receive appropriate support to reach their potential.

 

Funding and Responsible Financial Management

Adequate funding is essential to maintaining strong schools and appropriate services for students. At the same time, a School Trustee must recognize the limits of the Board’s authority. Provincial funding decisions are made by the provincial government, although the Board can communicate the Division’s needs and advocate for adequate resources.

Within RETSD, I believe Trustees have a clear responsibility to ensure that available public funds are managed carefully, transparently and according to defined priorities.

Every expenditure should be examined with a simple question: does it support the educational needs of students and the effective operation of our schools?

Responsible budgeting also means recognizing that public funds ultimately come from taxpayers. Strong education and careful financial management should therefore go together.

 

Safety for Students and Staff

Schools must provide safe environments for both students and employees.

RETSD already has policies and procedures dealing with school safety, behavioural concerns, violence prevention and serious threats. My approach is not to create new programs simply because a problem exists, but first to determine whether existing measures are being applied consistently and effectively.

Students facing behavioural, social-emotional or other difficulties may need appropriate intervention and support. At the same time, classmates, teachers and other staff must be protected.

Existing procedures should therefore be reviewed regularly. Where experience shows that something is unclear or ineffective, it should be improved.

 

Supporting Teachers and School Staff

Teachers and other school employees are essential to creating effective learning environments.

They need appropriate resources, professional support and safe working conditions in order to carry out their responsibilities successfully. RETSD already provides a number of supports, including professional learning, mentoring and specialist services.

My approach is again practical: use what is working, evaluate it regularly and make adjustments where experience demonstrates that they are needed.

Listening to staff concerns and understanding the realities in classrooms should be part of responsible decision-making by the Board.

 

Equity, Inclusion and Individual Needs

Every student should be treated with dignity and respect and should have a fair opportunity to succeed.

Fairness does not necessarily mean that every student receives exactly the same support. Students have different circumstances, abilities and educational needs. Appropriate support should therefore respond to those actual needs.

My approach is to support consistent and fair application of existing policies, identify barriers to learning and participation, and direct additional resources to students where there is a demonstrated need.

Policies and programs should also be evaluated regularly to determine whether they are achieving their intended purpose.

 

Technology and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence will increasingly influence education, employment and everyday life. Schools therefore cannot simply ignore it.

Students need to learn how to use AI and other technologies responsibly, critically and effectively. At the same time, technology must remain a tool for learning rather than becoming a substitute for learning.

Students still need to develop their own ability to analyse information, solve problems, communicate, create and form independent judgments.

AI can assist that process, but it should not replace it.

For me, the appropriate approach is balance: use new technology where it has clear educational value, while remaining aware of risks such as overreliance, misuse and the loss of independent thinking.

My guiding principle is straightforward:

Use AI where it is helpful and educationally appropriate, but never allow technology to replace a student’s own judgment, abilities, creativity or responsibility for learning.

These answers represent the approach I would bring to the role of School Trustee: examine what already exists, ask whether it is working, identify where improvement is necessary, understand the financial and practical consequences of decisions, and keep the educational needs of students at the centre of the discussion.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

A strong school community depends on communication - not only when a major decision has to be made, but throughout the year.

Families, educators and residents often notice developments in their neighbourhoods at an early stage. Growing enrolment, increasing traffic around schools, concerns about student transportation, pressure on school facilities or changes within a community may become visible locally long before they are fully reflected in formal reports or statistics.

That local knowledge matters.

In my view, a School Trustee should therefore maintain regular communication with the people they represent. Residents should know how they can raise concerns, where questions can be directed and, just as importantly, what happens after an issue has been brought forward.

Communication should not end with receiving an email or listening to a concern. Where possible, people should also be able to understand how an issue is being considered, which level of the School Division is responsible for it and whether further action is being taken.

For Ward 4, I believe this kind of ongoing dialogue is an important part of responsible representation. It can help identify developing issues earlier, improve understanding between the community and the School Division, and allow residents to participate more meaningfully in matters that affect their schools and neighbourhoods.

Not every concern will result in immediate action, and not every request can necessarily be accommodated. But residents should be able to expect that their concerns are heard, considered and treated respectfully.

As a Trustee, I would consider regular and accessible communication with the Ward 4 community to be an important part of the role - not something that begins only when a major decision is already on the table.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

Reading is one of the foundations of a child’s education. When a student experiences dyslexia or other reading difficulties, I believe the response should be early, practical and focused on the individual child.

My position is that difficulties should be identified as early as possible and followed by timely, evidence-aligned support. Schools should use appropriate screening and instructional practices, and teachers and support staff should have access to the training and resources they need to respond effectively.

At the School Board level, I would support clear and measurable literacy goals, responsible allocation of resources, and regular review of whether interventions are producing meaningful progress. Where a child requires additional accommodations or more intensive individual support, those needs should be considered as part of the educational plan for that student.

Families should receive clear and timely information about identified concerns, available supports and their child’s progress. Parents should not have to navigate the system without understandable information, and a child’s access to necessary educational support should not depend on whether the family can afford private assistance.

My guiding principle is simple: children are not responsible for their learning difficulties or disabilities. They should not be left behind. Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, develop and reach their potential, with support that reflects their individual needs and with public resources used responsibly and transparently.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

 

Every child should have the opportunity to learn, develop and participate in school to the best of their individual abilities.

Children with disabilities or additional support needs do not all require the same assistance. Their circumstances are different, and the support provided should reflect their individual needs.

For some students, appropriate classroom accommodations and specialized educational support may be sufficient. Others may require more intensive assistance. Where a student genuinely needs continuous individual support during the school day, I believe that appropriate trained assistance should be available.

No child should be placed at an educational disadvantage simply because their family cannot afford additional private support.

Supporting students with disabilities and significant additional needs is a shared public responsibility. The Province and the School Division must ensure that adequate resources are available so that necessary support is based on the needs of the child - not on the financial circumstances of the parents.

This also means listening carefully to parents, teachers, educational assistants, clinicians and, wherever possible, the students themselves. Decisions should be based on the individual child rather than on a one-size-fits-all approach.

In my view, responsible budgeting does not mean treating every expenditure equally. It means setting priorities. Providing necessary educational support to children who need additional help is one of those priorities.

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, participate and reach their potential.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

A school budget should reflect priorities, not simply repeat last year’s spending and add another increase.

Public education depends on stable and reliable funding. At the same time, every budget decision deserves careful review because available resources are limited and public funds should be used responsibly. For me, the key question is not simply whether more or less money is spent in any given year, but whether the money available is directed to the areas where it is most needed and can provide the greatest benefit for students and schools.

As a candidate for School Trustee in Ward 4, I believe the Board should examine spending with clear questions:

Which expenditures directly support students and learning?

Which are necessary to maintain safe and effective schools?

Which costs are driven by enrolment growth, staffing, maintenance or other essential obligations?

And where can resources be used more efficiently without weakening educational quality?

Financial decisions should also be explained in plain language. Residents should be able to understand not only how much is being spent, but why priorities were chosen, what alternatives were considered, and what long-term consequences a decision may have. Transparency is especially important when budget decisions affect school taxes, programs, staffing or future capital needs.

Responsible budgeting is not about cutting for the sake of cutting, and it is not about assuming that higher spending by itself produces better results. It is about deliberate choices, realistic planning and accountability for how public money is used.

If elected, I would approach budget decisions by asking for clear information, comparing priorities and alternatives, and looking at both immediate needs and long-term effects. My goal would be to help ensure that available resources are directed where they provide the greatest educational value while keeping the financial impact on families and taxpayers in view.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

 

Transparency is not only about informing the public of the final decision. It is also about allowing the public to understand how that decision was reached.

As a candidate for School Trustee in RETSD Ward 4, I believe that public Board decisions should reflect the actual result of the vote.

If a motion is supported by five Trustees and opposed by four, then in my view the public record should show that the decision was made by a 5–4 majority. It should not simply leave the impression that the Board was unanimously in agreement.

I would also support greater transparency by recording how individual Trustees voted on important public matters. Residents should be able to see not only what decision was made, but also which Trustees supported or opposed it.

Trustees are elected to represent the public. Different opinions and respectful disagreement are a normal and important part of democratic decision-making. A divided vote is not something that should be hidden or avoided. It tells the public that different arguments were considered before a decision was reached.

If elected, I will support a Board culture in which public debate is open, differing positions can be expressed respectfully, and voting results are communicated as clearly as possible.

For me, accountability begins with transparency.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

 

A school budget is more than a set of numbers — it reflects priorities.

Families want strong classrooms, appropriate supports for students, safe schools and responsible planning for growth. Taxpayers also deserve confidence that every dollar is being examined carefully before additional costs are passed on through the School Tax.

For me, responsible financial stewardship means asking straightforward questions: What is essential? What produces measurable value for students? What can be improved or done more efficiently? And what are the long-term costs of today’s decisions?

Good education and careful financial management are not competing goals. They should go together.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

My nomination as a candidate for School Trustee in River East Transcona School Division – Ward 4 was officially submitted today, September 16, 2026.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4

Transparency is one of the principles that matters most to me in public governance.

An open meeting is important, but an open meeting alone does not necessarily give the public meaningful insight into how a decision was reached.

Unanimous decisions are not inherently undemocratic. Trustees may genuinely consider the evidence, debate the alternatives and ultimately arrive at the same conclusion. But where important decisions repeatedly end in unanimous votes, I believe residents are entitled to ask a legitimate governance question:

Can the public see and understand the different arguments, concerns and alternatives that were considered before the final vote?

That question matters because RETSD’s own governance framework expects trustees to participate in full and open discussion, consider differing views and exercise their own judgment.

For me, this is also a question of good governance and compliance with those principles. Compliance should not be understood merely as following the formal steps of a meeting. Good governance should also make the decision-making process understandable to the people the Board serves.

That does not mean trustees should create disagreement for the sake of disagreement. Nor does it mean that every unanimous decision is suspicious.

It means that trustees should be prepared to ask difficult questions in public, challenge assumptions respectfully, consider alternatives and explain the reasoning behind their decisions.

If I am elected, I will not regard a dissenting vote as a failure of the Board. If, after reviewing the information and hearing the arguments, I reach a different conclusion, I believe I have a responsibility to say so and to explain why.

Once the Board has made a lawful decision, I will respect that decision. But respecting the authority of the Board does not require a trustee to conceal an honestly held difference of opinion.

My commitment is therefore simple: I do not want merely to speak about transparency. I want to practise it — openly, respectfully and consistently.

Joe Hilmerich
Independent Candidate for School Trustee – RETSD Ward 4