About Me

Hello, I’m Carolyn Butterworth. As a lifelong resident of East Gwillimbury, I have a vested interest in our community. Throughout my life, I have lived in all three wards. I was born in Holland Landing where I lived until I was 11. My family then moved to Sharon where I attended Sharon Public School and then Huron Heights Secondary School until I went to university. After getting married, my husband and I bought a house in Mount Albert where we have lived for the last 32 years. We raised our two children here who both attended Mount Albert Public School; one went on to Huron Heights and the other attended Bill Crothers Secondary School. My family and I have all been active in the East Gwillimbury community through hockey and softball. My husband coached minor hockey in East Gwillimbury and in the Markham/Stouffville Girls Hockey Association, and was on the EGMHA executive for several years. Both of our children played minor hockey in East Gwillimbury; our daughter eventually went to play girls hockey in Markham/Stouffville. 

After high school, my son went to college and then into an apprenticeship. He is now a certified Heavy Equipment Mechanic. My daughter went to university and then into the Canadian Armed Forces, where she now serves in the Armoured Corps. 

And me? I was a teacher for 32 years at the York Region District School Board where I was actively involved in school life through coaching various sports, running clubs and school improvement initiatives. I retired from teaching in 2022 and decided to put my name in the municipal election for the YRDSB trustee position for East Gwillimbury/Georgina and won.

Trustee Experience

Since being elected as the local school board trustee, these last four years have been incredibly busy and fulfilling. The following is an outline of the duties I have upheld and initiatives I have immersed myself in since I became a trustee.

  • School board trustees are required to be on a minimum of 3 committees each year; I am currently on 6. 

    • Finance and Property Standing Committee - past Chair

    • Learning, Equity and Wellbeing Standing Committee - past Chair

    • Student Discipline Committee

    • Accessibility Advisory Committee

    • Special Education Advisory Committee

    • Student Success Steering Committee

    • In the past, I have been on Policy and Bylaw Standing Committee, Governance and Board Organization and Equity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee

  • Regularly attended PD sessions on governance, student equity and well-being, Truth and Reconciliation, developing and monitoring multi-year strategic plans.

  • Actively involved in my role where I visit schools, attend and help out at both community and school events (ex. Robert Munsch Monster Mash, the Chippewas of Georgina PowWow, Remembrance Day services, Peaceful Hearts Buttertart Festival) as well as attend municipal and cultural events in both towns that are relevant to my role (ex. Flag raisings, Remembrance Day ceremonies, Emancipation Day, Lunar New Year). I also regularly celebrate what is happening in my schools and post important upcoming events and programs on my social media accounts.

  • Work closely with the superintendents of the schools in my jurisdiction (East Gwillimbury and Georgina).

  • Strong advocate for children with special needs and inclusion.

  • My biggest achievement as a Trustee - implemented inclement weather zones for YRDSB and strengthened policy language around who to consult when these decisions are made.  Along with the Newmarket Trustee, we strengthened policy language around victims of bullying to ensure that they receive extra support.

  • Successfully advocated for the school zone in front of Morning Glory PS to be designated a community safety zone. It was already a school zone but more needed to be done to ensure that traffic would slow down in front of the school. The provincial government recently approved the application for this.  

  • Currently working with five school councils to advocate for field improvements at Sutton DHS.  

  • When developing the Mult-Year Strategic Plan, I was a strong advocate for moving the focus back to student achievement along with ensuring that health and wellbeing of both staff and students and human rights and inclusivity were front and centre in our plan.  

  • Hired the Director/CEO for YRDSB - third largest board in Ontario, fifth in Canada.

  • The YRDSB has an annual budget of $1.7 billion. Because of covid and the expenses incurred to deal with it, boards across Ontario had to run deficits.  We successfully got out of our deficit and have had a balanced budget since 2023. I strongly support balanced budgets. We have to work within our means which often requires hard decisions to make. I am not afraid to make those decisions.