Peterborough Designer & Civic Advocate Officially Launches Campaign for KPR School Board Trustee.
Campaign website live as Henry, calls for arts education to be protected, funded visibly, and treated as core curriculum
PETERBOROUGH, ON (July 20th 2026) — Jack Henry has officially launched his campaign for Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Trustee for the City of Peterborough, with the opening of his campaign website at www.jackhenryforkpr.ca and the filing of his nomination today ahead of the August 21, 2026 deadline.
Henry, a graphic designer and owner of Peterborough-based studio Loon in the Mist Creative, is running on a three-pillar platform: championing arts education as core curriculum, expanding student mental health and special education supports, and bringing financial transparency to KPR's $552 million operating budget.
"I'm a graphic designer because a publicly funded arts class opened a door that might otherwise have stayed closed," said Henry. "That door needs to stay open for every kid in this city, and it needs to be visible in the budget so it can't be quietly closed when money gets tight."
Henry highlights a structural gap in KPR's public budget documents: arts education has no distinct line item, meaning spending on music, drama, visual arts, and media arts programs cannot be tracked, measured, or publicly debated. He is committed to making arts education a reported budget line as one of his first priorities as trustee. KPR's own 2025 Annual Report supports the case for investment. At Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Peterborough, over 170 senior students, more than a third of Grade 11 and 12 enrolment, participate in Specialist High Skills Majors including Arts & Culture. Henry wants to see that level of commitment protected and expanded across city schools.
On student mental health, Henry points to Burnham Public School in Peterborough, highlighted in KPR's 2025 Annual Report as a model for mentally healthy school culture, as evidence that the right approach exists. His position is that it needs to be properly resourced across every city school, not celebrated as an exception while caseloads grow elsewhere.
On financial transparency, Henry notes that KPR's budget faces increasing pressure from declining enrolment, down approximately 439 students from last year, and argues that the trade-offs ahead require trustees who communicate clearly and publicly about spending decisions.
Henry is also pursuing a formal neurodivergence assessment as an adult, an experience he says directly shapes his commitment to education and advocacy for vulnerable students. Henry, relocated to Peterborough and has since built his studio and civic life here, founding Peterborough Alto Rail Advocates and contributing pro bono design work to local community campaigns. He is direct about his intentions.
"Some people treat a trustee seat as a first step toward becoming a career politician," said Henry. "I am running to serve the students and parents of Peterborough as their board trustee, not to bolster my resume for future political runs"
The campaign website is live at www.jackhenryforkpr.ca . Election day is October 26, 2026. Online voting opens October 5 at peterboroughvotes.ca. Voters must be designated as public school supporters with MPAC to participate in the KPR trustee race.
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About Jack Henry
Jack Henry is a Peterborough-based graphic designer, writer, and civic advocate. He is the owner of Loon in the Mist Creative, a design and communications studio serving tourism, civic, and community organizations across Peterborough, the Kawarthas, and Northumberland. He is a founder of Peterborough Alto Rail Advocates and a contributor to civic discourse in Peterborough through his Substack publication. He is running for KPR School Board Trustee for the City of Peterborough in the October 26, 2026 municipal election.
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