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.

WE SUPPORT LORNE For more supporters and their statements, click on Endorsements on the bar above.

Maggie Harvey, former Communications Manager (Ottawa-Carleton District School Board): “Lorne is a consensus builder. His compassion for children and their education is second to none. He is a strategic thinker, straight-forward communicator and skillful negotiator. Electing Lorne as Trustee for Zone 9 is the right thing to do. Ottawa's largest public education system needs his depth of experience and insight at the board table."
Pat Holloway, Visiting Professor (University of Ottawa), former English consultant (Ottawa Board of Education) and Head of English (Adult High School): “Having worked with Lorne for more than 25 years, I have always been impressed by his ability to understand and manage the complexity of a school system. Such a job requires a strong vision of what needs to be done and great skill at getting things done. Lorne has both, and therefore I am delighted that he is running for Trustee.”
Diane Koven, CFP, financial advisor: Lorne Rachlis is a serious, dedicated, and experienced educator who cares deeply about students, a perfect combination for school trustee."
Myrna Laurenceson, former school trustee (Ottawa-Carleton District School Board): "As chair of the school board's Special Education Committee, I was impressed by Lorne's concern for special needs students."

Sandy Hill Community BBQ

The weather on Sunday, September 19 was perfect for a community BBQ in the new park behind the Sandy Hill Community Centre. Many people were interested in schools, not so many on the school board. Concern was expressed about regular English programs as enrolment in grades 1 through 6 shrinks in some schools as parents choose Early French Immersion and now Middle FI as the number of sites increases. We must maintain high quality for our children in both streams. Concern also expressed about the future of child care centres offering school-age programs as full day JK and SK, with before and after school care, is phased in across the district. While this needs attention at the provincial level, the school board must take this into consideration, keeping the needs of children as our priority.