Guide to Toronto District School Board Trustee Elections, Mid-Town Candidates

The Epoch Times asked Toronto district school board trustee candidates what is the top issue in the ward and how they will address it.

Kristina Skorbach

10/18/2010|Updated: 10/25/2010

We all know they’re important, but what exactly do school trustees do? With the Toronto District School Trustee elections coming up at the end of October, every Torontonian should know what powers trustees have and what each candidate has to offer.

Here look only at the mid-town Toronto District School Trustee candidates.

Trustees approve the annual school board budget, write the policies that guide your child’s education, monitor programs and, perhaps most importantly to voters, advocate for the constituents in their ward.

In other words, trustees play many important roles that directly influence education.

Also worth noting is that school board trustees serve a term of four years, so you cannot change your mind too often. The number of trustees elected in each area is based on the population in that area.

There are four school boards in Toronto: Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and the two French school districts. THe candidates for each can be viewed here:

1. Toronto District School Board Trustee Candidates
2. Toronto Catholic District School Board Trustee Candidates
3. Conseil scolaire de district du Centre Sud-Ouest
4. Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud

Just before parents head out to vote for their school trustee representative on Oct. 25, The Epoch Times asked each candidate to tell us their mission statement and vision for the schools of Toronto. For more information about each candidate and the detailed Q&A, click on the name of the candidates below.

1. Toronto District School Board Trustee Candidates

2. Toronto Catholic District School Board Trustee Candidates

Ward 5 (City Wards 15,16,23,25)

Bonavota, Rosina
Corcoran, Robert
Deocampo, Angela
Greco, Mycheal
McDonald, Chris
Oulahen, Paul
Paton, Ann
Reid, Barrington
Rizzo, Maria

Ward 9 (City Wards 19,20,21,22,27,28)

Davis, Jo-Ann
LeBlanc-Miller, Catherine

Ward 11 (City Wards 26,29,30,31,32,34)

Kennedy, Angela
McCabe, Brad
Morrison, Kevin
Ward, Ryan

3. Conseil scolaire de district du Centre Sud-Ouest

Ward 2 (City Wards 16,23,24,25,26,33,34,35,36, 37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44)

Baeta, Julien
Guérin, François
Nzeyimana, Frederic

Ward 3 (City Wards 14,17,18,19,20,21,22,27,28, 29,30,31,32)

Bégin, Denys
L'Heureux, Jean-François

4. Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud

Ward 3 (City Wards 1,2,7,8,9,10,12,15,16,23,24, 25,33,34,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44)

Dufour Séguin, Nathalie

Goodman, Howard
www.goodman4trustee.ca

1. Introduction- Name, age, profession.

I’ve had a successful and varied career in business:

- management consultant,

- software entrepreneur,

- traditional manufacturing, always with a clear focus on innovation, efficiency, and customer service.

I’ve been a:

- Trustee since 2003,

- VP Ontario Public School Boards Association since 2004,

- member of board and former vice-chair of Toronto Foundation for Student Success,

- member of the board of Curriculum Services Canada.

I grew up in Eglinton-Lawrence, where I’ve lived with my wife and sons
for the past 16 years. I’m a former full-time at-home dad and current proud TDSB parent, with a BASc (Engineering Science – Geophysics , U of T. Age 59.

2. Why do you think you should be elected as a school board trustee in your ward?

Our children and our city deserve a TDSB Board on which every Trustee is experienced, capable, committed and independent. I am:

* Experienced – A life-time in business, plus seven years as TDSB Trustee, give me the skills to make a difference for our children, our schools, and our city

* Capable – I have a proven record of influencing the direction of education in Toronto and across Ontario

* Committed – I spend 50+ hours/week working as your Trustee, and am a proud TDSB parent

* Independent – I belong to no political party and owe no favours to any union or interest group

3. What is the most important issue among the schools in your ward? What do you plan to do about it?

Eglinton-Lawrence is a very diverse ward, composed of many distinct neighbourhoods each with its own “most important issue”. To pick just one would indicate that one neighbourhood was more important than all the others.

Among these various local “most important issues” are:
- easing school overcrowding due to steadily increased enrolments over the past few years
- protecting long-established excellent day-cares from the threats created by all-day kindergarten
- increasing academic courses offered in local secondary schools and improving access to schools under optional attendance
- rationalizing school boundaries
- concerns about how to keep small neighbourhood schools open
- the need for increased special education support

Each of these issues requires a different approach. Detailing them all would exceed the space limitations permitted here. In general, I will use the approach that I have brought to all the issues that I have dealt with in my seven years as Trustee: to use all my influence with staff, other Trustees, and the Province to ensure that every potential solution is explored and evaluated.

4. If elected, what is the first problem you would address and how?

The work that I will do will be a continuation of the work that I have done to date. Among the items that I will be addressing very early in the term will be:
- overcrowding of schools in the east portion of the ward including possible changes to school boundaries
- increasing the scope of academic courses offered at Fleming/Bathurst as part of the school move
- ensuring that our response to concerns about the success of boys in school is effective, and
- lobbying the Province to ensure that their rules for all-day kindergarten don’t damage our community day-cares

Vassal, John

1. Introduction- Name, age, profession.

My name is John Vassal and I am running for the position of Toronto District School Board Trustee in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding Ward 8. I am 25 years old and have been a resident of the area my entire life. I have attended many of the schools in this riding and have recent first hand memories of the difficulties that both schools and students are facing. I graduated from George Brown College in 2006, having completed a three year Business Administration: Marketing program. I currently work for a major Canadian financial institution at their regional head office. I know the importance of effective budgeting and planning and will utilize these skills that I have developed over the years. I plan to bring a fresh perspective to the TDSB. I promise to you that I will strive to make as much positive change as possible to our schools in my next four years in office.

2. Why do you think you should be elected as a school board trustee in your ward?

I know that I am the right person for the job because I offer a fresh new perspective to our educational system. I am energetic, enthusiastic and I do not give up easily. I offer a youthful perspective, having graduated from our Toronto Public school system only seven years ago. Too often, decisions affecting the future of our children are decided by those who do not remember what it was like in our schools. The same stale ideas are thrown back and forth without any real positive results. I will do my best to put an end to this approach.

3. What is the most important issue among the schools in your ward? What do you plan to do about it?

What I have heard from our community is that the two most pressing issues facing both parents and students are those of safety and maintenance of our crumbling schools. A child must feel safe and secure in a clean and healthy environment in order to prosper. I will work closely with parents, teachers, support staff, principals and community leaders to identify and correct as many issues concerning both safety and maintenance throughout my ward. It is time for the school board to put aside its petty differences and work together.

4. If elected, what is the first problem you would address and how?

Many candidates and incumbents have talked about fixing the funding formula or getting more funding to our educational system. Unfortunately, no one is willing to step up to the plate and take the responsibility of leading the charge for more funding. I would personally take on this extra responsibility and do my best to rally our troops together and make our voices heard. The Ontario government will realize how important our public schools are to the residents of Ontario and how a bigger commitment from the province is need to ensure a positive future for our children. Remember, these children who are currently in our educational system will one day be leading this country. They will be our doctors, lawyers, police officers, and professionals. We need to invest in them today to better assure both Canada’s and our own future. Thank you.

Xiao, Yu

Candidate did not return requests for comment.

Chaleff-Freudenthaler, Adam

www.adamcf.ca

Candidate did not return requests for comment.