<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[HWDSB School Trustee Candidate]]></title><description><![CDATA[Parent, business owner, and advocate for safer schools, stronger communication, and accountability in Wards 11 and 12]]></description><link>https://baxterfortrustee.wixsite.com/baxtertrustee/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 21:33:45 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.melissabaxter.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[If You Live in Ancaster, Binbrook, Glanbrook or Mount Hope, Here's Why Your School Trustee Vote Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[On October 26, 2026, residents across Hamilton will head to the polls to elect representatives who will serve our community for the next four years. On your ballot, you'll vote for: Mayor of Hamilton Your Ward Councillor (either Ward 11 or 12) Your Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Trustee Most people have a good idea of what a Mayor does. Most understand that a Ward Councillor represents their neighbourhood at City Hall. But many ask me the same question: "What exactly does a School...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/if-you-live-in-ancaster-binbrook-glanbrook-or-mount-hope-here-s-why-your-school-trustee-vote-matt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6ff09316cff318c1869231</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 03:27:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_488c41ab01db4640a05666b12678ae72~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ontario Teachers' Strike: What Parents Need to Know]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you've spent any time on social media lately, you've probably seen posts about teachers' strikes, expiring contracts, barganing, and the possibility of labour disruptions this fall. Naturally, many parents are asking the same questions. The good news is that, as of today, there is no announced province-wide teachers' strike in Ontario. So why is everyone talking about it? The answer is that Ontario's major education union contracts expire on August 31, 2026, and negotiations for new...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/ontario-teachers-strike-what-parents-need-to-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6cfd185cf1d22b8d769c1d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:13:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_c87976ded37d49e7a68fbbd7dc729de8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ontario's New $60 Million Digital Learning Platform: What Parents Should Know About AI in Our Schools]]></title><description><![CDATA[Technology is changing education faster than ever before. Beginning this September, the Ontario government is investing $60 million to provide every publicly funded school board with access to Nelson Education's Edwin digital learning platform. According to the Province, the goal is to give teachers curriculum-aligned digital resources, interactive learning tools, and real-time information that can help identify student learning gaps and provide more personalized instruction. If you're old...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/ontario-s-new-60-million-digital-learning-platform-what-parents-should-know-about-ai-in-our-school</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6cea862aa0dd3fa1629eb5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:34:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_df5bada762e4410694c6ea8ec21472fd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Do the 2026–2027 Special Education Staffing Changes Really Mean?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Understanding the changes, what they mean for families, and who is responsible. One section of the HWDSB's 2026-2027 Special Education Plan has received a lot of attention: the staffing table. The table compares the number of Special Education staff planned for the 2025-2026 school year with the planned staffing for 2026-2027. Overall, the published plan shows a net decrease of 38 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, although some areas increase while others decrease. Where did the staffing...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/what-do-the-2026-2027-special-education-staffing-changes-really-mean</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a654d3d35380d3132b2e992</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:02:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_6536897bed2c4d0092a8e5e03b6cc0bd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is the 2026-2027 Special Education Plan?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why every parent should know about one of the school board's most important publlic documents. When people hear the words Special Education, they often think about Educational Assistants, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), or specialized classrooms. What many parents don't realize is that every Ontario school board is required to publish a Special Education Plan each year. It's one of the most important public documents a school board produces, and one that deserves far more attention than it...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/what-is-the-2026-2027-special-education-plan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a653db1532301fe59fd191b</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:32:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_96ca7a9a8cd94aa89bc887b8ba5081a8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Road Safety Around Our Schools Starts Before the First Bell]]></title><description><![CDATA[Road Safety Around Our Schools Starts Before the First Bell One of the questions I've been asking throughout this campaign is simple: "Do you feel students can get to and from school safely?" Over the past several months, I've been visiting schools throughout Wards 11 and 12, attending community events, and speaking directly with parents, students, grandparents, and residents. First, I want to say thank you. I genuinely appreciate everyone who has taken the time to stop and share their...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/road-safety-around-our-schools-starts-before-the-first-bell</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d4559d695fdae96b738bd</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 23:02:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_71fadb7825334b668c331ffed27829fd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Schools Have a Duty of Care]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every parent understands something important the moment they drop off their child at school. For the next six to seven hours, they are placing their child in someone else's care. That trust isn't just emotional. It's legal. Ontario schools have what is known as a duty of care to every student. While you'll sometimes hear the old Latin phrase in loco parentis ("in the place of a parent"), today's responsibility is defined by modern laws, policies, and court decisions, not centuries old legal...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/schools-have-a-duty-of-care</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d3d0d830cbda37bc24fac</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 21:28:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_ce0ba557c0fb4a5eb77b25059a02d698~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Understanding School Budgets: Why Trustees Sometimes Have to Make Impossible Decisions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every year, the Province announces billions of dollars for education. Most people hear those announcements and think: "Great! Schools must finally have enough money." Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The reality is much more complicated. One of the biggest misconceptions about School Trustees is that they decide how much money schools receive. They don't. Instead, Trustees receive a funding envelope that has already been largely determined by the Province. Their job isn't deciding how...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/understanding-school-budgets-why-trustees-sometimes-have-to-make-impossible-decisions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d2f6e5e7d848635e51297</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 21:04:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_7ac746da5c67436da8ff1437a859db27~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Accountability Starts at the Top: Why Governance Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Over the past few weeks, I've written about Safe Schools, transparency, and the importance of measuring whether Board policies are actually achieving the outcomes they were intended to produce. Those conversations all lead back to one principle: Good governance. Recently, news reports revealed that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board CEO, Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, received a third consecutive payout for unused vacation time.  According to the reporting, the 2025 payment was...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/accountability-starts-at-the-top-why-governance-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d164de447e3bde58a606f</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 19:48:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_949dbcc418544d88b2eaf03488b9fccd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Better Way: Bringing School Board Accountability into the Digital Age]]></title><description><![CDATA[One idea I believe is worth exploring to improve transparency, communication, and publc accountability A concept for discussion One of the biggest frustrations I've heard from parents, and experienced myself, is not simply that issues arise. It's the uncertainty that follows after they're reported. Did the school receive the concern? Has anyone started looking into it? Who is responsible now? When should I expect an update? Too ofter, families are left waiting for emails or phone calls that...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/a-better-way-bringing-school-board-accountability-into-the-digital-age</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5d0ac45e7d848635e49da5</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:22:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_465bf7228ca54ea792eb7f8d6f54f7fb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Safe Schools: Parents Deserve More Than Policies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Policies don't make schools safer. Accountability does. Every school board in Ontario has a Safe Schools policy. Every school has anti-bullying procedures. Every administrator can point to binders full of policies, regulations, and protocols. Yet parents continue to ask the same questions: Was my child's complaint documented? Was it investigated? What happened afterward? Did anything actually change? Too often, those questions go unanswered. Policies only matter if they are consistently...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/safe-schools-parents-deserve-more-than-policies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5cfabe29f476e5f31b79e2</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:34:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_03af24d0f2574bcbbaf3bf0db8f2057c~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_768,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police in Schools: What Actually Changes?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For many Hamilton parents, the discussion about School Resource Officers (SROs) may feel like a brand new topic. In reality, it isn't. Hamilton schools once had School Resource Officers working alongside students and staff. They built relationships with students, delivered classroom presentations, supported school administrators, and acted as a bridge between schools and the Hamilton Police Service. In 2020, that changed. Following concerns raised by members of the community, the Hamilton...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/school-resource-officers-in-hamilton-schools-why-they-left-why-they-re-returning-and-why-it-matte</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ceda2b30426ce14077501</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:17:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_2a82e9174f564f8f8024b7767f27c55b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ontario's New Police-in-Schools Regulation]]></title><description><![CDATA[On July 1, 2026, the Province of Ontario brought into force new legislative changes under the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, including Ontario Regulation 176/26 - Work with Local Police Services. This regulation changes how every publicly funded school board in Ontario, including the HWDSB, must work with its local police service. For many people, this important change has gone largely unnoticed. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, I believe parents, guardians and...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/ontario-s-new-police-in-schools-regulation-what-it-means-for-hwdsb-families</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5cdd0d383816e00d4028a6</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:10:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_2f79bb2ab70b47f8a3a42616cbe9af91~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Makes Me Qualified?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the questions I've been asked most since announcing my campaign is "What makes you qualified to be a school trustee?" It's a fair question. But I also think it's important to recognize that there is no perfect formula for what makes a great trustee, a trustee is not a principal, teacher, or politician. The role is about representation, accountability, communication, and advocacy. To me, a good trustee should be approachable, available, responsible, and willing to ask difficult...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/what-makes-me-qualified</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a03aa1668a3e7adcb13c4ac</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 22:55:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_b98bd06ea2754eaa9a33940e2cef8338~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Your Vote Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every vote matters - especially in local elections. School board trustees play an important role in shaping the direction of our schools. From policies and priorities to how concerns are addressed, these decisions directly impact students, families, and educators across our community. But too often, these elections are overlooked. The reality is, local elections can be decided by a very small number of votes. That means your voice carries more weight than you might think. Choosing to...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/why-your-vote-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69faad9a6d919e5ce871af68</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 02:59:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9cb468_03702e998d1c4933b40351d7699e4f10~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_576,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Join the Conversation: Why Education Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Education is the foundation of our community. It shapes not only our children’s future, but the future of our neighbourhoods, our workforce, and the kind of city we build together. Students focused on taking notes during a class session, with pens poised over notebooks in a sunlit classroom. For families in Wards 11 &#38; 12, education isn’t just something that happens inside a classroom—it’s part of our everyday lives. It’s in the conversations at the dinner table, the walk to school, the...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/supporting-education-melissa-baxter-for-school-trustee</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f8ac0b356085c6404f5a0c</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 14:24:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bd0728a98e5141ed8762dacec3b08c20.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Ways to Support Our Schools]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our schools are at the heart of our comunity. When they are supported, our children are better prepared to succeed - not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. A dedicated teacher leans over to assist a focused student with his classwork, creating a supportive learning environment. The good news is that supporting our schools doesn’t require a big title or a formal role. Small, consistent actions from families and community members can make a real and lasting impact. Here...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/why-vote-for-melissa-baxter-a-trustee-candidate</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f8ac06993f3e5ebcb02760</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 14:24:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_595244e950e74c7783085a062e93d843~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Importance of Inclusivity in Education]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every student deserves to feel like they belong. Inclusivity in education is about more than policies or programs—it’s about creating an environment where every child feels seen, respected, and supported for who they are. When students feel that sense of belonging, they are more confident, more engaged, and more likely to succeed. In our schools, students come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. That diversity is a strength. But it only becomes a strength when it is...]]></description><link>https://www.melissabaxter.com/post/melissa-baxter-s-vision-for-school-trustee-leadership</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f8abf35caf4ed272ba55fc</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 14:23:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_41714b30537732476a2d63~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa C. Baxter</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>