I’m a retired teacher and grandfather of eight , who has become so disillusioned with the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s operations that I feel an obligation to run to be its next chairman.
From an economic standpoint the status quo is unsustainable . Reform and change must come from within our community. School boards may own the buildings but schools belong to students.
My teaching career of more than 30 years, and as an observer and participant , at the LBPSB meetings since its inception, has given me a unique perspective of the challenges ahead.
Everything a board does should be geared toward improving conditions in the classroom. Every decision ought to be based on the belief that it will be a benefit to the student
That is not done by attending conferences, conventions and congresses, in posh hotels, in faraway places. Pretending to be efficient, effective and economical doesn’t wash in the age of Twitter and Skype.
Governing Boards comprised of parents, teachers, school principal and support personnel are the ” heart ” of the public education system, and are more valuable than school board commissioners and all their committees.
Article 64 of the Quebec Education Act says: ” Every decision of the governing board must be made in the best interests of the students. ”
That’s the reason there is a growing need to give the financial and decision making autonomy back to the schools and the communities they serve.
Fed up taxpayers , expect their tax dollars to be directed to the classroom, not the boardroom .
My aim, if elected, is to ensure this will be my highest priority because the classroom is where the students are – where the action is.
