Candy Ashdown for Township Trustee

Because there is still important work to do for Langley's students and families.

Over the past term, we've made significant progress, including opening or securing approval for more than 5,000 new student spaces. But Langley continues to grow, and we need to keep advocating for the schools, classrooms and supports our students need to succeed.

I'm also running because strong schools are built through strong relationships. As a parent, volunteer and trustee, I've seen what happens when families, staff, the School District and local governments work together. We make better decisions, solve problems more effectively and create stronger communities for our children. I want to help continue that work, strengthen those partnerships and keep students at the centre of every decision.

Langley public schools have been part of my life as a student, a parent, a volunteer and now a trustee. I earned my Dual Dogwood Diploma through French Immersion here, and my children attended Langley schools too.

I spent more than a decade volunteering in their school communities, including many years as PAC President at Uplands and Wix-Brown Elementary and serving on the executive of the District Parent Advisory Council.

Public education is also part of my family’s story. My mother, the late Diane Pona, served twelve years on this Board. Her example helped shape my belief in bringing people together and putting children first.

My priorities follow the five pillars of our Langley Strong platform:

• Strong Students. Strengthen learning, belonging and mental health support. Keep improving graduation rates and removing barriers, with particular attention to Indigenous students and students with diverse abilities.
• Strong Staff. Attract and retain great people, listen to those working closest with students, and make sure staff have safe workplaces, meaningful support and the resources they need to help every child succeed.
• Strong Schools & Spaces. Keep approved school projects moving, advocate for the additional spaces our growing district needs, and care for the schools we already have.
• Strong Community. Strengthen partnerships with the Township, the City and community organizations. Plan schools alongside neighbourhoods and give families a meaningful voice in decisions.
• Strong & Sustainable Funding. Use public dollars carefully and transparently while pushing for reliable provincial funding that reflects our growth and students’ needs. Families and staff should help shape budget priorities.

I bring the perspective of a Langley public school graduate, a parent, a longtime school volunteer and a trustee. I first served on the Board from 2011 to 2014 and returned in 2022, building on years of involvement in school PACs and the District Parent Advisory Council executive.

Since November 2022, I’ve chaired our seven-member Board. I also chair the Board’s Policy Committee and serve as its representative on the ya Indigenous Education Council.

That work involves listening, asking questions, bringing different perspectives together and helping the Board make sound decisions. It also means building relationships with district staff, community partners and provincial ministries so we can move important work forward for students.

This term, we’ve made real progress for students and families across Langley.

Since September 2024, our district has opened or secured provincial approval for 5,030 new student spaces, representing approximately $515.5 million in provincial investment, including three new schools. Those projects will help reduce overcrowding and create more opportunities for students to learn closer to home.

The new stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle and Emery Dosdall Secondary campus in Willoughby will provide 2,800 spaces, with approximately $306 million in provincial funding. It’s a major step toward meeting the needs of families in our growing community.
The Board also adopted a strategic plan focused on educational opportunity, community partnerships and operational priorities, and opened our annual budget to public consultation.

We’ve seen progress for students, too. Our six-year graduation rate has risen from 93% to 97%, and in June 2026 we celebrated more than 2,200 graduates—our largest graduating class ever.

These are shared accomplishments. They reflect the work of our students, staff and families, alongside persistent advocacy and cooperation between the Board, district staff and the Province.

My mom, Diane Pona, served twelve years on the Langley Board of Education. She believed deeply in public education and in respectful relationships among trustees, staff, parents, community partners and every level of government. In one of her election brochures, she wrote: “We must put children first and rebuild trust within the community.”

She taught me to value and protect public education, and to bring people together around every child’s right to a good education. She believed adults could disagree without losing sight of the children we serve.

Following in her footsteps is both a privilege and a responsibility. I carry her example with me every time I sit at the Board table, and I try to approach every decision with the same belief she held - that public education works best when we put children first.

I was a parent who had spent years volunteering in my children’s schools. I saw major decisions affecting those schools leave many parents feeling that their children’s education and their community’s voice weren’t being given enough consideration.

I decided to run because I wanted to help change how those decisions were made. My first term, from 2011 to 2014, strengthened a belief that still guides me: families deserve meaningful opportunities to be heard while decisions are still taking shape.

Because schools are part of neighbourhoods, and planning them well takes cooperation. For more than thirty years, the Township and School District purchased land together so schools, parks and playing fields could serve the same community.

Families benefit when those spaces are planned together. Students have places to learn and play, and neighbourhoods gain spaces for recreation and community activities. The new stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle and Emery Dosdall Secondary campus is being built on land purchased through that partnership.

The joint land acquisition program was suspended in 2025. I want to see it restored, with the Board and Township talking early, planning together and following through on shared commitments.

I joined because I believe our schools and our Township can accomplish more for families when we work together. We have different responsibilities, but we share an obligation to listen, solve problems and find common ground.

Langley Strong shares the commitments I care about: responsible use of public dollars, transparent decisions and the well-being of our community. I want a Board and Council that can have honest conversations and work through challenges together.

I’m proud to be running alongside Trustee Charlie Fox for the Township seats on the Board.

It’s a responsibility I take seriously. As the Board’s representative on ya:y̓əstəl̕ (Indigenous Education Council), my role includes listening, learning and helping carry our commitments to Indigenous students and families into Board decisions.

The completion rate for Indigenous students has risen to 87%. That progress is encouraging, but gaps remain. We need to keep listening and removing barriers so students have the support and opportunities they deserve.

The Class of 2026 was also the first Langley cohort to recognize Orange Shirt Day throughout all thirteen years of school. For me, that is a reminder that reconciliation requires learning and commitment that continue year after year.

By inviting people into the conversation early enough that their input can genuinely help shape a decision. This term, the Board opened its annual budget to public consultation, asking students, staff, families and residents to help identify spending priorities.

I spent more than a decade on the parent side of the table. I know how frustrating it can be to feel that a decision has already been made before anyone asks what you think.

Listening also means explaining our decisions and how we considered the feedback we received. We won’t always be able to give everyone the answer they hoped for, but people deserve to know their concerns were taken seriously.

I believe a Board is stronger when trustees bring different experiences and views to the table. We should be able to ask hard questions, disagree and have honest discussions while treating one another with respect.

As Chair, I work to make room for those conversations and keep us focused on the decision we need to make. We share a responsibility to use sound judgment and support safe, inclusive schools where students can succeed.

We won’t agree on everything. We still need to work together and keep our commitments to students and families.

They should be able to see the difference in their children’s schools. I want more students getting the support they need, graduation rates continuing to improve, and gaps in student achievement closing.

I want the schools we’ve secured approval for open and serving families, our existing schools well cared for, and the Board and Township working as partners again. Families should also be able to see what we promised, what we delivered and where more work is needed.

Behind every graduation is a young person with their own hopes and possibilities. Helping students reach that next step is why I want to keep doing this work.

Families should be able to see what we promised, what we delivered and where more work remains.

At the end of the day, success isn't measured only in buildings, budgets or statistics. It's measured in young people who feel supported, graduate with confidence and leave our schools prepared for whatever comes next. Helping students reach that point is why I continue to do this work.