THANK YOU

Thank you to the more than 100 people who actively supported my campaign through canvassing, pamphleteering, donating, phoning, accepting lawn signs, endorsing me publicly, and especially for giving me encouragement and advice.

Thank you to the 1000s of people who listened to me at their association and school council meetings, in seniors residences, at clubs, at the farmers markets, on the sidewalks, at community BBQs and fun fairs, and at their doors. Thank you for asking questions, and making suggestions.

Thank you for taking an interest in the school board election and in the zone 9 trustee campaigns.

And thank you for voting.

I STAND BEHIND WHAT I SAID

“I want every student to feel welcome in her or his school. This is where our young people will learn about each other, to see each other as human beings with feelings and ambitions. This is where our future is being built. Public education is our best investment for our children’s future and their children’s future. I will continue my efforts to interest the media in the school board decision-making and to help inform the general public on what trustees and the school board do that affects them directly. I commit to being an ambassador for public education, speaking well of the things we do well, and working with staff and at the board table to improve those things that need work.”

Role of Parents: “Parents often have expertise that can help trustees make better decisions.” Parents have both formal and informal roles in the Board’s decision making, individually and through groups. Parents need to be informed in a timely fashion and given opportunities for input. Staff reports should include a summary of consultation which took place including Board Advisory Committees on which parents sit.

Role of trustees: “Trustees should not make all of their decisions based on pre-fixed philosophical or political agenda, but must be sufficiently flexible to adapt to changed circumstances or new information.” Trustees must listen to all sides of an argument and make the decisions for which they are elected. Their decisions must be fiscally responsible. Trustees must act together as a Board after seeking advice from both their constituents and professional staff. Some matters do not require professional advice. Where options are equally supported by staff, parent and community input should be the deciding factor. School boards are accountable to parents and the community and are responsible for the academic achievement of the students.

Board governance: “The Board must overhaul some of its archaic practices.” The Board’s decision making process needs to be more transparent. Turn-around times are sometimes too short for parents to be informed and involved. Staff should be requested to include recommended options, other options considered, and the rationale for the chosen option. In camera meetings should only be used according to legal requirements. Some Board agenda items related to cycles of reporting and decision making should be announced in advance so reports are published in a timely manner. Board committees should operate with only committee members voting and decisions subsequently brought to the full Board. Matters need to be resolved more quickly. The first major issue to be dealt with is the selection of the new Director of Education.

Alternative Schools: “I am in favor of an alternative school associating with the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa as a lab school, as is the case in Toronto.” These schools should be supported. Parents should be informed about alternative schools and their practices. These schools need assistance to meet the needs of students who learn best in a student-centred, non-competitive, teacher/parent-partnered approach.

School overcrowding: “Area and system-wide studies are needed with reasonable timelines to provide both short and long-term solutions.” There is overcrowding in some schools inside the greenbelt especially in Zone 9 (First Avenue and Hopewell) because of the number of programs offered, full day kindergarten, and primary grade class size, and, as well, there are portables in the suburbs. This situation must be addressed immediately.

French Immersion: “I am concerned about the high drop-out rate from Early French Immersion.” There is need for a study to understand the reasons for this. Bilingualism is important in our community but concerns have been raised that schools with French Immersion are overcrowded while shrinking English programs seem to be given second class status. This needs to be addressed. Perhaps there should be an exit test to earn a Bilingual Certificate and not just the number of credits earned.

Finances: “Because there is never enough revenue to meet students’ needs, I will work to develop partnerships such as the ones I helped establish with OCRI that funds the breakfast and volunteer programs, with the police and their School Resource Officer program, with OCISO and the Multicultural Liaison Officer program, and with substance addiction prevention centres.” The Board should continue efforts to get fair funding from the province. One publicly funded school system would be the ultimate answer. Funding should reflect the cost of meeting student needs in Ottawa. The Board should look for administrative economies and school economies such as merging more educational functions among local boards and the city and looking at ways to overcome textbook expenses. Parents should not have to fund-raise to provide the basics. Spending should be focused on students and schools.

Community Schools: “The school board is taking a cookie cutter approach in its planning for our schools. While most students should be able to receive an excellent education in their local community school, there are some whose needs, talents, and abilities require special classes or schools, such as alternative schools, that champion best practices and are willing to be innovative.” Community schools are important and should be safe and welcoming for all students but not all schools should provide the same program. The child’s needs should come first when considering programs and school transfers.

Curriculum: “We currently have great emphasis on the 3Rs in the early school years, and while these are essential tools for all further learning, they cannot and should not be taught in isolation; they should not be taught as subjects with an end in themselves.” There needs to be more instruction in the arts, science, social sciences, and physical education, especially in elementary grades, to provide a balanced approach with the 3Rs. My suggestions include encouraging teachers to upgrade in these specialties and congregating students in sufficient numbers to warrant such instruction, especially in grade 7 and 8. Report cards should be clear and concise. Outdoor education should be supported either through the Bill Mason or MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centres or through other outdoor centres which are available.

Gifted Program: “The current definition [of a gifted child] is lacking in that it does not recognize exceptional talents other than academic ones. My prime example is exceptional talent in the arts. The board has recognized this through its continuing support for the audition arts program at Canterbury High School. As with special education programming, the arts program requires expenditures beyond those funded by the Ministry of Education. In the case of the arts, parents are expected to cover these costs.” There should be a continuum of service from full integration with a modified curriculum through partial withdrawal to congregated classes. There should be a study of the choices made by gifted students and their parents and the reasons for them.

WE SUPPORT LORNE RACHLIS FOR OCDSB TRUSTEE ZONE 9

MANNY & PAULA AGULNIK

ELDA ALLEN

MICHAEL ALLEN

MITCHELL BELLMAN

BILL BIRD
CATHY & MARVIN BLAUER

RILEY BROCKINGTON

FRED & KADRI CAMPBELL

GARY & HEATHER COHEN

JANE DOBELL

ROSS DONALDSON

ROB DUNLOP

CYNTHIA ENGEL

JANET (BOULERICE) FADER

MARY LOU FLEMING

NATHAN FORD

KRISTIN GOFF

BILL GOWLING

GERALD HALPERN

MERLE HALTRECHT

MAGGIE HARVEY

BILL HOLLINGSWORTH

PAT HOLLOWAY

TED & LAYA JACOBSEN

LARRY JONES

DIANE KOVEN

MYRNA LAURENCESON

DOUG LLOYD

GAIL LYON

NORM MacDONALD

SHERYL MacDONALD

BRIAN McGARRY

BARBARA McILVEEN

BARBARA McINNES

IAN McKERCHER

MARGOT MONTGOMERY

ELAINE MORGAN

MIKE NEILL

SUSAN NOUVET

SPRAGUE PLATO

DAVID PRIMEAU

JESSICA RESLACK

ANNE RIMMER

JAMES RIMMER

HARVEY SCOTT

ANNE SCOTTON

JACK & CAROL-SUE SHAPIRO

RON SHEWCHUK

DAVE SMITH

BARBARA STOLLERY

RON VERED

JOANNE WINK

PETER ZION

See also Endorsements section - click on bar at top of page

GO TO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/LORNERACHLIS FOR VIDEO OF HOPEWELL TRUSTEE CANDIDATES MEETING

WE SUPPORT LORNE RACHLIS FOR OCDSB TRUSTEE ZONE 9

MANNY & PAULA AGULNIK    ELDA ALLEN     MICHAEL ALLEN    
MITCHELL BELLMAN     BILL BIRD     RILEY BROCKINGTON    
FRED & KADRI CAMPBELL     GARY & HEATHER COHEN     JANE DOBELL
     ROSS DONALDSON     ROB DUNLOP     CYNTHIA ENGEL    
JANET (BOULERICE) FADER     MARY LOU FLEMING     NATHAN FORD    
KRISTIN GOFF     BILL GOWLING     GERALD HALPERN    
MERLE HALTRECHT   MAGGIE HARVEY     BILL HOLLINGSWORTH   
PAT HOLLOWAY     TED & LAYA JACOBSEN     LARRY JONES    DIANE KOVEN     MYRNA LAURENCESON     DOUG LLOYD     GAIL LYON     NORM MacDONALD     SHERYL MacDONALD     BRIAN McGARRY     BARBARA McILVEEN
BARBARA McINNES     IAN McKERCHER     MARGOT MONTGOMERY
ELAINE MORGAN   MIKE NEILL     SUSAN NOUVET     SPRAGUE PLATO
     DAVID PRIMEAU     JESSICA RESLACK     ANNE RIMMER     JAMES RIMMER         HARVEY SCOTT     ANNE SCOTTO     JACK & CAROL-SUE SHAPIRO
     RON SHEWCHUK     DAVE SMITH     BARBARA STOLLERY    RON VERED
     JOANNE WINK     PETER ZION

See also Endorsements section - click on bar at top of page

OTTAWA PARENT'S EDUCATION NETWORK - TRUSTEE CANDIDATE SURVEY - LORNE'S RESPONSES

Section 1: Accountability

1. In your opinion, what is the role of parents in the Board’s decision-making process?

Parents have vested interests in the schools their children attend and the schools in their communities. They know their neighbourhoods and they know their children and their children’s needs. Parents often have expertise that can help trustees make better decisions. The lines of communication must be open, transparent, and accessible. And in return, trustees have an obligation to inform their constituents, including parents, of the opportunities to provide input, advice and criticism, and of upcoming events in a timely fashion and to assist parents in any consultation process

Parents have a number of formal and informal roles in the Board’s decision making process, acting individually, acting in groups, and acting through their associations. Parents constitute the majority membership on every school council and many school councils are involved in the umbrella organization Ottawa-Carleton Association of School Councils (OCASC). As a school trustees I will frequently attend meetings of the school councils in my zone and of OCASC and thus become informed on issues as they arise. Parents participate on school accommodation studies and related activities – for example, parents typically choose the name for new schools, which the board usually ratifies.

Through these organizations parents can influence school-based decisions and, through trustees, board decisions. Parents sit on board advisory committees (e.g., alternative schools, arts), and attend board and board standing committees including SEAC, the legislated Special Education Advisory Committee. Public questions and delegations are permanent items on board agendas. Staff reports are to include a summary of the consultation which took place in the preparation of the reports.

2. If you are elected, how do you see your role as a trustee in the decision-making process?

Trustees are elected to make decisions. These decisions must be fiscally responsible, promote excellence in the education of our children, and fair. I will be responsible to my constituents and will give priority to hearing their concerns and advocating on their behalf at the board table. Given the professional advice of staff, and having been pro-active in seeking the advice of constituents, trustees acting in concert as the Board then make formal decisions within their jurisdiction, in open session, and these decisions are binding. Trustees should not make all of their decisions based on pre-fixed philosophical or political agenda, but must be sufficiently flexible to adapt to changed circumstances or new information.

3. Do you believe that trustees should serve as intermediaries between parents and the Board and/or their school (when all other avenues have been exhausted)?
O Yes
O No
Please explain

Trustees can be useful in solving disputes. Acting as an intermediary can be helpful, depending on whether there is a board policy or procedure to be followed, whether there is a personality conflict, whether what is being asked by the parents will harm other students, and so on. If there is a policy or procedure that requires change, as a trustee I will be in a position to move such a change. Although individual trustees do not have authority in the schools, they do have knowledge, they do have skills, and they do have influence. It is these latter which can help solve disputes.

My first questions to parents will be: have you approached the individual, often a teacher or principal, directly with your concerns? That being said, I believe that, having exhausted the chain of command in the bureaucracy, as a trustee I will intervene where justice can be served.

4. Do you believe the Board’s decision-making process could be more transparent?
X Yes
O No
If yes, what measures would you propose to improve the Board’s transparency and accountability?

There is always room for improvement. For example, turn around times for decisions are sometimes too short for proper consultation – by proper I mean alerting parents to the need for a decision and the deadline for the decision, informing parents of the implications of the decision, and providing opportunities for input. Another consideration is to include in staff reports options that were considered, including the recommended one, and pros and cons for each with a conclusion that explains the rationale for the chosen option.

5. What do you believe should have greater weight in the decisions made by trustees: the advice of educational professionals or the input of parents and communities?
O Advice of professionals
O Input of parents and communities

Trustees are elected to make decisions. I will always put the needs and concerns of my constituents as my priority. Both professional advice (by which I mean hard data and reasoned analysis) and constituent input are important to trustee decision making and each has its place. There are some matters for which professional advice is not required, or options which are equally supported by professional advice, and in such situations parent and community input should be the deciding factor.

6. This past year has seen an increase in in-camera (closed-door) committee and Board meetings. As a trustee, would you undertake to ensure that in-camera meetings are held only when necessary to protect the privacy of individuals?
O Yes
O No
Additional comments

There are other reasons for holding meetings in camera including contract negotiations and sale and purchase of property. In my experience, in camera meetings have been limited to personnel, property, and contract negotiations in accordance with the law, and, as a trustee, I will ensure that is always the case.

7. Last year, the Board reviewed its Alternative Schools program and its Secondary Gifted program. Despite strong stakeholder support for these programs, Board staff recommended that they either be closed or eventually phased out. As a trustee, what kind of information would you seek and what kind of questions would you ask in order to come to a decision when staff recommendations are opposed to the views of the community?

I want to know the reasons why the stakeholders are opposed to the staff recommendations and why the staff is making those recommendations. The staff reports should report on the consultation which took place, options considered, pros and cons for each option, and a rationale for the option chose to be recommended. I would also like to know the implications if the staff recommendations were turned down.

You mention specifically the alternative schools review. I have been involved with the alternative schools almost since their inception, and for some time was the superintendent responsible for all of them, so I have deep knowledge and understanding of the philosophy and practice in the schools. A child-centred, team-teaching, multi-age grouping, non-competitive, parental involvement approach was not the norm in elementary schools in the early 1980s, and the approach that Lady Evelyn and then Churchill took was refreshing and innovative. It is reasonable to review the program from time to time, since circumstances change, including the amalgamation of the Ottawa Board of Education and Carleton Board of Education and capping of class size in the primary grades. Alternative schools must continue to innovative teaching practices that serve children’s learning needs.

With respect to the secondary gifted program, I believe that some children have learning needs, talents, or abilities that are so exceptional that they cannot benefit fully from a regular classroom placement, and for these children we must continue to provide special classes. I believe in a continuum of special education service from full integration with support, through partial withdrawal, to congregate classrooms, with integration to the extent the child can benefit, training and resources for the teacher, and without disruption to the learning of the other children.

8. Good decision-making requires good and comprehensive data which is shared with all public education stakeholders. What will you do as a trustee to ensure that board reports are released to the public in a timely fashion and contain accurate information?

With my fellow trustees, I will hold the director of education accountable for timely release of information and for accuracy of information. Many board agendas contain items related to cycles of reporting and of decision making. These should be announced well in advance, perhaps an annual calendar for such events, so that reports are published in a timely manner, allowing for public consideration and input.

9. Teachers and support staff who work in the classroom every day with students are well-acquainted with student needs, yet are not permitted to contribute to the public discussion when changes to programs and service are under consideration. Do you believe that the experience and knowledge of the professionals in the classroom should be better represented in the Board’s decision-making process?

As staff, the input of classroom workers should be reflected in the staff reports. Not every teacher, office staff person or custodian can be consulted on every matter going before the Board. Their union representatives and line supervisors do provide input to staff reports often based on those first hand concerns and suggestions. This is valuable because it provides a frontline view from the direct service providers.

Section 2: Educational issues
10. Given the chronic under-funding of education, what new ideas would you bring to the table to address the Board’s ongoing financial challenges?

First I would urge the Board to continue its attempts to get fair funding from the provincial government. Secondly I would look for administrative economies. For example, there is one city government and four publicly funded school boards operating in Ottawa, each with its own planning department, each with its own adult general interest classes, each with its own adult ESL classes, each with its own gyms being used by the community for recreational purposes, each with its own payroll department, and each with its own transportation policy (thousands of students in grades 7 and up use OC Transpo). There is already one transportation authority for the two English boards so cooperation is in place on a small scale. I would ask for reports on what economies could be made by merging some of these functions. Thirdly I would look for school economies. Textbooks are becoming outrageously expensive. Would our students and the Board’s budget be better served by providing laptop or notebook computers for intermediate and senior students?

11. It can be a challenge to meet the demand for French Immersion while maintaining a strong, viable English program. How important do you think it is for the Board to respond to the ever-increasing demand for French Immersion in this region?
O Very important
O Important
O Less important than other needs
O Not important
Additional comments

It is always important to listen to parents and to other stakeholders. I have heard the concern that schools with French Immersion (FI) programs are becoming overcrowded (First Avenue, an FI-only school has been overcrowded for some time and has not reached the breaking point), while shrinking English programs seem to be given second class status. Over half of the children leaving 5-year old (Senior) Kindergarten take Early French Immersion (EFI) in grade 1, and half of them drop out by the end of grade 8. This needs analysis and remediation.

I am very sympathetic to parents who want their children to have every advantage that the school system can offer, and being bilingual is an advantage necessary to succeed in business locally and in government federally. The recent review of FI programming in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board accepted that EFI would remain in place and that Late French Immersion (LFI) would be phased out and the locations for Middle French Immersion (MFI) increased.

12. Do you favour the Board’s revised student transfer policy that restricts student’s abilities to transfer from their neighbourhood school to the school of their choice?
O Yes
X No
Please explain

My priority in decision making is the best interests of children. I am opposed to the cookie cutter approach to schooling in which each school resembles all of the others. In which case it doesn’t matter which school a child attends, so it might as well be the nearest one, which saves busing costs. Rules work most of the time. But there are times when exceptions must be made, usually based on compassionate grounds and special circumstances, and these must not be so onerous as to discourage following the best interests of children.

13. While the Ontario Ministry of Education is encouraging school boards to integrate students with special learning needs into the regular classroom whenever appropriate, it recognizes specialized classes as one of a range of options for exceptional students. At present, the OCDSB provides specialized classes for students with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, developmental disabilities, giftedness, and a number of other exceptionalities. Do you support the continued provision of specialized classes for students with these and other special educational needs?
X Yes
O No
13. a) If yes, what would you do to reduce waiting lists and improve student access to these classes.

When students are first noted as potentially exceptional, there should be some service provided until a final determination is made, which could include testing, referrals, some classroom modification by the teacher. Once an IPRC determination has been made that the student is exceptional, service must be expanded to assist the student. I would rely heavily on the advice of SEAC and of the Support Services department to ensure sufficient attention and resources are made available.

13. b) If you answered no, how would you ensure that both exceptional students and their peers without special learning needs receive the support they need in order to learn and thrive in the regular classroom?
n/a

13. c) When changes are proposed to special programs, would you agree that any proposed changes should first be evaluated through pilot programs, with well-defined, measurable outcomes?
O Yes
O No

Piloting and proper research protocols are needed. Phasing-in is one way of determining unintended consequences and adjusting the program to meet local needs.

14. Recent changes to program delivery at this Board have reduced access to specialist teachers in the arts, science, physical education, and other subjects, especially at the intermediate level. Do you believe that students are receiving enough subject specialist education in the elementary/intermediate years?
O Yes
O No
Please explain

I believe that instruction in the arts, science, and physical education in the early elementary years needs to be better integrated into the 3 Rs curriculum. One way is to encourage teachers to upgrade their credentials by offering to pay part or all of their tuition in specified subject specialties. Another is to congregate students of grade 7 and 8 in sufficient numbers to allow the staff to have specialists who teach in their specialty.

15. At the same time as students have less access to outdoor education centres, research is showing that children need experiences in the natural world for improved learning, for their well-being, and to be informed citizens about the environment. Would you increase the role of outdoor education centres in our students’ education?
X Yes
O No
If yes, how?

The Board currently has two outdoor education centres of its own, Bill Mason in the west end and MacSkimming in the east end near Rockland, Ontario. If these are not easily accessible, there are other outdoor centres available to our students. I would like to see more curriculum integration. We currently have great emphasis on the 3Rs in the early school years, and while these are essential tools for all further learning, they cannot and should not be taught in isolation; they should not be taught as subjects with an end in themselves.

16. The Alternative Schools program was reviewed this past year and found by the Board to have many benefits for students. As a trustee, would you ensure this program is continued and is extended to zones where it’s not currently running?
X Yes
O No
If yes, what are your ideas to make this happen?

The existing alternative schools were established in response to parental demands. I would support efforts to inform parents in areas of the district not currently served by an alternative school of the practices and value of these schools for some students and their parents. Bearing the label of alternative carries with it responsibility to be alternative and the parents can help define that for their community. I am in favor, for example, of an alternative school associating with the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa as a lab school, as is the case in Toronto.

17. Ottawa receives more refugees than any other city in Ontario, has the second largest immigrant population in the province, and the first language of approximately one third of Ottawa residents is neither English nor French. Do you believe that the OCDSB is doing as well as it could to serve the needs of students and families that are new to Canada?
O Yes
X No
If no, what changes would you propose?

There is always room for improvement. With limited revenue, the Board must always set its spending priorities because there is always more identified need than there is money to meet it. In which case, the Board must continue to seek economies both within the schools but especially outside the schools to free up existing revenue to serve students. Another route is to pursue more formal and inform partnerships and to extend existing ones. One which is working well but needs consideration for expansion, not for cutting, is the Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) program co-sponsored with the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO)

As trustee, I will work to involve our recent immigrant communities in school concerns, for example, working with MLOs to recruit them onto school councils and meeting with local community groups on their turf. Since school boards cannot accept direct funding from the federal government, we should be doing more with OCISO to expand their federal funding. We must also lobby more strongly with the provincial government to increase our ESL and any other newcomer funding based on the demographics referenced in your question.

Section 3: Philosophy
18. Current trustees: Please give an example of something you did last year to further promote public education. Other candidates: Please name a specific effort you would promote if you were elected.

As a first-time candidate, once elected I will continue my efforts begun in the campaign to interest the media in school board decision-making and to help inform the general public on what trustees and the school board do that affects them directly. I commit to being an ambassador for public education, speaking well of the things we do well, and working with staff and at the board table to improve those things that need work.

19. What is your vision of education and its role in our community?

I want every student to feel welcome in her or his school. This is where our young people will learn about each other, to see each other as human beings with feelings and ambitions. This is where our future is being built. Public education is our best investment for our children’s future and their children’s future.

Most children attend a publicly funded school; our school system provides equal opportunity for each of them to learn and grow into responsible, contributing citizens. School boards provide local control and local accountability to many aspects of schooling. School boards are responsible for the academic achievement of the students in their schools.

THREE NIGHTS OF MEETINGS - ALSO GO TO www.youtube.com/lornerachlis

Lorne at Hopewell all trustee candidates meeting

The all candidates meeting for councillors hosted by the Glebe, Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South and other Community Associations at Glebe Collegiate Institute at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 7 provided tables for school trustee candidates, but no opportunity for us to speak to the audience. There was a crowd of trustee candidates from the two English boards at the entrance to the school, and audience members ran a gauntlet of outstretched arms pushing pamphlets at them. Few visited the trustee tables, but many good conversations were held in the foyer. Former school trustee and councillor and well-known local businessman Brian McGarry sported his Vote for Lorne button and a dozen other supporters helped me hand out material and answer questions.

The school council at Hopewell Avenue Public School hosted a meeting for zone 9 trustee candidates at the school at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, October 12. Four of the five candidates named on the ballot were present and about 40 people were in the audience. Brian came to show support as did former school trustees Bill Gowling and Norm MacDonald. My opening and closing remarks are attached below.

We went from Hopewell directly to the renovated city hall / community centre at Hawthorne and Main Street where a Catholic school trustee and another OCDSB candidate addressed 20 people, who had waited patiently after hearing from five city councillor candidates.

LORNE'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AT HOPEWELL CANDIDATES MEETING

I have spent my adult life helping children learn and helping teachers help children learn. I will continue to do so as your school trustee. These are my priorities as your trustee:
     - I will be accessible and available to listen to your concerns and to advocate on your behalf; and in return I will provide you with timely information on matters that will affect you, and I will help with your efforts to navigate the system and affect board decisions.
     - I will work collaboratively with other trustees to ensure that the decisions we make are always based on what is best for children. These decisions must be, rational, fiscally responsible and fair.
     - I will work with other trustees to increase provincial funding to our district, so that grant revenue more closely meets the needs we have in Ottawa. Parents should not have to fund raise or spend money on school basics. And because there is never enough revenue to meet student needs, I will work to develop partnerships such the ones I helped established with OCRI that funds the breakfast and volunteer programs, with the police and their School Resource Officer program, with OCISO and the Multicultural Liaison Officer program, and with substance addiction prevention centres.

These are my priorities here in zone 9:
     - I will work with you to resolve the overcrowding in our schools – especially but not only at First Avenue. This will require area wide studies since what happens at one school affects the schools around it. These studies must have reasonable timelines, have access to relevant data, and encourage meaningful community input.
     - I will work to review the many program options that have been placed here at Hopewell and threaten to overcrowd the school.
     - I will work with the City on traffic congestion and student safety around this building. The walking school bus concept is a good idea but not a complete solution. When the new building was being planned, I attempted to have traffic on Hopewell Avenue restricted, and that is an idea whose time may now have come.
     - As your school trustee, I will work to ensure that the Board maintains a continuum of service for special education students, ranging from total integration with some help, such as a modified curriculum or occasional extra help, through partial integration, perhaps with the aid of an educational assistant, to special classes, with occasional withdrawal into the regular program. Of course, teachers must receive training and adequate resources when integrating students – the needs of all students in the classroom must be addressed. This refers to gifted classes as it does to remedial classes
     - I support our alternative schools. I will assist them as they address and seek new ways to meet the needs of students who learn best in an environment that provides a student-centred, non-competitive, multi-age, teacher/parent-partnered approach.
     - I believe that the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of a 3Rs only curriculum in the elementary grades and it is time to return to a more balanced approach that includes context for the 3Rs in the arts, music, science, and social sciences.
     - Glebe Collegiate is my vision of a comprehensive, welcoming high school that promotes excellence and I will work to ensure it remains that way

I am a proud advocate for public education. I am the only educator running for school trustee in this district. I have roots in the community and a record of community service. I believe this combination will make me your choice for school trustee.

LORNE'S CLOSING REMARKS AT HOPEWELL CANDIDATES MEETING

I would like to thank the organizers of this event – this is the only all trustee candidates meeting in zone 9 in the entire election campaign. You deserve this opportunity to compare the candidates in person.

I am a lifetime educator and a lifelong learner. I have been a classroom teacher, a school administrator and a district administrator. I know what classroom teachers and schools need to provide an excellent learning environment for our children. I am also a parent, and my three children are graduates of Ottawa public schools.

As your trustee, I will provide you with service at three levels:
     - my first priority will always be to listen to your concerns and advocate on your behalf.
     - my second priority as your trustee will be to work at the board table for collegial debate and decisions, based on facts, that always place the needs of students first, decisions that are fiscally responsible and fair, and promote excellence. My first priority will be the eight schools in zone 9 but as a school trustee I have a system perspective based on first hand knowledge.
     - and my third priority is to work with other trustees to increase provincial funding to Ottawa public schools to reflect the true costs of meeting student needs here.

As your trustee, I will promote 2-way communication – I will be available and accessible in person, on the telephone, and on the internet to hear your concerns and suggestions and in return will provide you with timely information and assistance.

On October 25, vote for mayor, city councillor, and me, Lorne Rachlis, for your school trustee.

Lorne meets Commuters at Corkstown Bridge

Lorne chatted with dozens of commuters at the west end of the Corkstown Bridge as they headed off to work Wednesday morning, October 6. Topics raised included concern about full day kindergarten and its impact on existing child care centres, how to get on the voters list, and why people without children in schools should vote for school trustee. I happened to have copies of my column in The Citizen (what school boards and school trustees do and how they can affect you directly) to hand them.

Seniors at Creative Connections

I spent 11 am to 12 noon today (Tuesday, October 5) with 30 retired men and women talking about the municipal election, the role of school boards and school trustees, and how an election campaign is organized. We had good discussions about what to do when you don't like your child's teacher, and an interesting debate on whether or not Harry Potter should be on the curriculum (there were advocates pro and con). I pointed out how parents and community members can influence school and school board decisions. No one left early.