Budget savvy
No one will fight harder for taxpayers. As a seasoned project consultant, I have experience with analyzing budgets and financial statements, and finding opportunities to reduce costs.
Strategic
No one will fight harder for your kids. With nearly two decades of experience as a strategic analyst, I have the skills to assess educational policies in terms of what is best for the whole child.
Engaged
As a public school trustee, I promise to be involved with your school and your community. I will come out to community events and I will connect with school council chairs.
My values
#1: I believe in public SCHOOLS
I attended public schools and all three of my kids attend CBE schools right here in Ward 8. My kids are currently in Kindergarten, Grade 5 and Grade 7.
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I send my kids to CBE schools because I trust the Calgary Board of Education. I see the proof with my own kids: The CBE provides a world-class education.
My values
#2: I believe in continuous improvement
I support the Calgary Board of Education, but I also know that the CBE sometimes makes mistakes.
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Take the boondoggle of the expensive lease for the downtown headquarters. Or the closure of inner-city schools in communities that now have to turn away students. Or the poor communications when the bell-time changes were rolled out to parents. You might have one or two pet peeves of your own.
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There's room for continuous improvement, but I firmly believe the system just needs a keen set of eyes (like mine), and not a wholescale restructuring.
My values
#3: I believe in being careful with money
You should see how good I am with stretching a dollar. Whether it's balancing the budget of my own household (I drive a 14-year-old car) or keeping my work and volunteer projects in the black, I am always vigilant about the bottom line.
I'm a public-school parent, but I'm a taxpayer, too.
Being a strong advocate for kids and being a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility are not mutually exclusive. It's the Alberta way. Our province was built by people who've known how to keep expenditures as low as possible while creating the kinds of programs and services that make our province one of the best places in the world to raise a family.
It's not always about spending more money. Usually it's about making sure we're spending money on the right things.
My values
#4: I believe in OUR kids
I am floored by the depth and breadth of the CBE's program offerings. From programs geared towards academic excellence to programs tailored to students with complex needs, there's a program or two or three to suit almost every learner.
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I will work hard for your kids and your families and keep public education high on the list of Alberta's priorities.
My Platform
Priority #1: If I am elected, I will push back against oversized classrooms.
Priority #2: I will champion a stronger partnership with AHS to improve access to mental health supports for students.
Priority #3: I will make the business case for restoring early intervention supports.
Priority #4: I will advocate for a new curriculum that prepares our kids to thrive.
Priority #5: I will do right by the kids and parents who are calling for schools to be places of equity, diversity and inclusion.
The Details
To get a full run-down of what I mean by each of my Top 5 priorities, please visit:
About Me
I am a project consultant, a writer and a community volunteer.
Want to learn more? Check out the brief bio below or visit www.susanvukadinovic.com/about.
My EDUCATION
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B.A. in Political Science (graduated at the top of my class)
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Masters in Business Administration
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Both degrees are from the University of Alberta.
MY WORK WORK
I have worked as an analyst and project consultant in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors.
Career highlights include a stint as a Policy Manager in the Premier's Office (circa the Premier Klein era) up in Edmonton and as a Strategist in the City Manager's Office here in Calgary.
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Since 2012, I have mostly been a stay-at-home mom, with the occasional contract to keep my skills sharp and my sanity sharper.
I've really rolled up my sleeves as a school volunteer.
Over the years, I've been the chair of school council, the person in charge of getting the new playground built, and the go-getter who brought in the before-and-after-school-care program.
I have done a lot of volunteer work outside of the school system, too, including various Board governance roles with a residents association, a community association, a public transit advisory board, a United Way committee, and a museum fundraising society.
I moved to Canada in 1980, and I grew up in the Polish immigrant community in Edmonton. Even though I've always lived in English-speaking countries, I didn't learn English until I started school.
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In my 20s I spent time living in: Red Deer, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Poland, Ukraine and France.
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Calgary has been my hometown since 2006.
In 2020, we added a pandemic puppy to our household and it's true what they say: a dog makes everything better.
MY VolunteeR
Work
My SELF
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TODAY!
VOLUNTEER
Fill out the form below or send me an email. It takes a village of Ward 8&9 volunteers to elect a candidate who shares your values.
LAWN SIGN
To request a lawn sign, fill out the form below or send me an email.
About Your Donation
Every little bit helps. Your donation is vital for running a winning campaign.
Thank you to every supporter who contributes a campaign donation of any size.
Whether you give $5, $50, $500, $5,000, or anything in between, I appreciate your generosity.
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My Campaign Goals
(last updated October 11, 2021)
Fundraise to cover costs of lawn signs and flyers. (97% of goal met with 50 donors!)
Do flyer drops to 70,000 households by October 18th. (80% of goal met.)
Find supporters, because it takes a village to elect a candidate (100% of goal met with 89 individual volunteers putting in a collective total of 414 hours. Thank you to my amazing volunteers!)
Knock on doors, talk with voters and go hard for eight months to show the people of Ward 8 and Ward 9 that no one takes this role more seriously than me. (100% of goal met with 478 volunteer hours I have personally put into this campaign.)
Win hearts and minds.
Get elected.
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Your Donation Options
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Write a cheque. If you choose to donate by writing a cheque, please contact my campaign so we can arrange the best way to pick up your cheque.
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Send an e-transfer to susanvukadinovic@gmail.com. When you donate by sending an e-transfer or writing a cheque to my campaign, 100% of your donation goes to the campaign -- and none of it goes to Paypal fees.
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Make a credit or debit card payment through Paypal. When making a contribution through the Paypal button, please check the box asking whether Paypal can share your mailing address with my campaign. Your address will never be made publicly available, but it is required to fulfill Elections Calgary campaign finance requirements.
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The Fine Print
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Individuals can contribute any amount, up to $5,000 to any candidate.
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Donations to school board trustee candidates are not tax deductible.
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Only individuals who ordinarily reside in Alberta are allowed to make a contribution.
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New for 2021 municipal election: Corporations, unincorporated organizations, trade unions and employee organizations are not allowed to make contributions.
Acknowledgement of the Land
I acknowledge that many of the visitors to this site, as well as the children and families I will serve if I am elected, reside on the traditional territories of many diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples, who have lived and continue to live on these lands. I promise to work in the spirit of reconciliation, in the hope that it will contribute, in some small way, to creating a more just world.