Below is the text of my opening address to the first (of hopefully many) all candidates debate for the trustee election. Three minutes isn’t enough time to get into the details of all that I’ve discussed here but you can be certain that more meat will be put on these bones as the campaign continues.
******
Last month I knocked on 2,000 doors in St. Paul’s. From the Cody community in the east to Humewood in the west, I heard a common theme: we love our local schools but the school board – the trustees and senior administrators – isn’t doing its part to tackle the system-wide issues we’ve faced since amalgamation.
Through my conversations with residents and education leaders, I’ve developed three top priorities:
- Transform our schools that are half-empty into community hubs that provide important services to neighbourhoods and make all schools into year-round community centers that offer space for recreational activities outside of school hours to people of all ages.
- Improve professional development for our teachers and support staff that leads to better results for students.
- Advocate for a fair funding formula from the provincial government that addresses local needs while ensuring that every dollar the TDSB is already entrusted with is spent as judiciously as taxpayers expect.
Anyone can rhyme off a list of priorities but my unique background demonstrates an ability to work together to win results that benefit communities.
Raised and educated in St. Paul’s, I’ve lived in the community for more than 20 years.
My love for my local school community is what spurred me to get involved when, in the 1990s, the provincial government began cutting my education. Buildings fell into disrepair, labour strikes were an annual event and my high school was closed and relocated to an inadequate facility.
Knowing firsthand what can happen when the wrong decision-makers are elected, I am running to ensure that this generation of students never has to go through what I did.
In the years since I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Toronto Public Library Board, where I took a leadership role in the development and approval process of capital and operating budgets totaling close to $200 million annually. In that context, I know what it’s like to make tough decisions while ensuring TPL remains the best public library in the world.
I also chair the board of a drop-in center for homeless and socially isolated people called Wychwood Open Door. We served 16,000 meals last year while providing counseling and skills development programs, all on a budget of under $150,000. So I also know how to operate on a shoestring.
Finally, I serve as vice-chair of the St. Clair West Aquatics Club. Earlier this year we saved the Winona school pool with the support of the community and now we’re offering children’s and recreational swim programs. This model of community use of schools is one that I want to roll-out all across St. Paul’s and throughout the TDSB.
Thank you to Josh for hosting the debate this evening and to all of you for taking the time to participate. I look forward to your questions.
