inclusive leadership for public education
I am running to represent Squamish as SD48 School Board Trustee in the upcoming election.
I bring sixteen years of experience in education, policy, pedagogy, and equity-centred leadership.
leanne roderick
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Extensive experience in post-secondary education, including leadership in innovative pedagogy, curriculum development, and advancing equity diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies and practices in teaching and learning.
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Internationally-published researcher of innovative pedagogy
2026 Recipient of BC Teaching and Learning Council’s West Coast Teaching Excellence Award
2022 Recipient of Simon Fraser University’s Early Career Award for Teaching Excellence
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A degree in political studies, with a focus on urban governance and finance.
why school trustee elections matter for squamish:
School trustees shape a huge part of community life— how we educate, support, and prepare the next generation. A trustee is also a bridge between the community and the decisions about how public dollars are invested in our kids, our schools, and the educators who support them. Whether or not you have kids, if you care about the kind of community Squamish will be in 10 or 20 years, you should care about who sits at the school board table today.
I’m running because, as an educator and researcher, I have a front-row seat to the students our public education system sends into post-secondary education, and I see both the strengths we should build on and the gaps we need to address. As an educator, I also know how often teachers are being asked to do more with less, while supporting increasingly complex needs in their classrooms. As a parent and community member, I see how the decisions we make today shape the everyday experience of children, families, and educators in Squamish. I want to bring my experience in teaching, equity, curriculum, and educational leadership to help build a public education system that supports the people doing the work and prepares our kids not just to graduate, but to thrive.why i’m running for school trustee
what I’m hearing from the community:
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Squamish's census agglomeration grew 21.8% between 2016 and 2021, That's more than 4x Canada's average growth rate
Squamish is changing quickly, we all feel it. New housing, population growth, and changing neighbourhoods are putting pressure on infrastructure and public services, including schools. At the same time, the District is actively planning for growth through its housing, neighbourhood, transportation, and workforce initiatives. The school district serves approximately 5,100 students across the Sea to Sky corridor and is currently developing a new five-year strategic plan for 2026–2031.
As Trustee, I would want SD48 to be transparent about current and projected secondary-school enrolment, available capacity, and the timelines for securing land and provincial capital funding. If the numbers show that Squamish will need another school, we should be making that case to the province well before we reach a crisis.
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The world our students will enter after graduation is changing faster than the school system can afford to ignore. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping knowledge work, while affordability and housing costs are changing what a stable middle-class life looks like.
As a post-secondary educator, I have a front row seat to what our public school systems are producing on the other side. To be frank, it’s alarming…and a big part of why I am choosing to stand as a nominee for School Trustee.
Our schools should be preparing students for change, not just for a particular job.
That means strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, science, and critical thinking, alongside digital and AI literacy, communication, creativity, collaboration, financial literacy, and practical pathways into trades, post-secondary education, entrepreneurship, and other careers.
I want students to graduate knowing how they learn best, how to critically evaluate information, and how to adapt when the world around them changes whilst maintaining their integrity and values.
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Nary a day goes by on our local community pages without a conversation about kids on e-bikes.
To be sure: unsafe behaviour is a problem, and our community should expect young people to respect shared spaces.
But the key takeaway here is that young people also need places to go, things to do, adults who know them, and opportunities to belong.
A school can’t provide all of that. Neither can the District, the province, or a single recreation program. It takes all of us, across levels of government and community organizations, to create the spaces, programs, transportation, funding, and supports that help young people thrive.
This is where I see an important role for a school trustee: building bridges. A trustee can listen to what families, educators, and community members are experiencing, bring those concerns to the board table, and connect with the people who have the authority and resources to do something about them.
meet leanne
I love teaching, and I’ve spent my career thinking about how we can create learning environments that recognize a fundamental challenge of public education: we build systems for everyone, while knowing that every learner is different. That tension makes inclusion, equity, and meaningful choice essential.
I believe public education is an investment in our community, and that the decisions made around the board table show up in the everyday lives of students, families, and educators, today and for years to come. As a mom, educator, and community member, I’m putting my hat in the ring because I see challenges that deserve more than business as usual. I want to help meet this moment, push for real change, and build a school system where every student and educator has the opportunity to thrive.
my top Three values for the role of school trustee
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please share any questions you have for me, let me know what issues matter most to you, and if you'd like to be involved in my campaign!Endorsements are appreciated, word of mouth is currency, and your engagement (at even the smallest scale!) matters.