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.