Kate Baggott's Blog: Cornfields of the Sea - Posts Tagged "election-of-dsbn-trustees-2014"
Writers are Also Citizens: Candidates for DSBN Trustee
I know, I know, this is my writing blog. Still, writers are also citizens and we have to participate in democracy. I would even say that it is a responsibility to protect democracy and participation in democracy.
These are the candidates for the District School Board of Niagara Board of Trustees.
The lack of media coverage of school board issues where I live is troubling and we have an election coming up. Education in Ontario is going through some challenges and changes and there is little opportunity to ask candidates about specific issues. So, I am going to do it and paste the results here. I'll be focussing on the St.Catharines/Niagara-on-the-Lake race because that is the one I'll be voting in. I issue a challenge to writer-citizens in Welland, Grimsby, Thorold-Pelham, West Lincoln, Fort Erie and Port Colborne, and Niagara Falls to undertake their own interviews and research to share.
Here are the general questions I will be asking all the candidates. There is some variation in wording for those who are seeking re-election versus those who are seeking election for the first time. If I have engaged in communication with a candidate in the past, I will make note of it in the email.
1. What in your background do you believe prepares you for this public office?
2. What has been your role in community volunteer work, educational activism and politics?
3. While local elections are not party-driven, do you have any party affiliations that influence your political ambitions?
4. How would you describe the current relationship between elected trustees and hired superintendents?
5. The province offers trustees various forms of procedural guidance and training in legal and procedural responsibilities of trustees. Which of these forms of guidance and training have you used and/or participated in to prepare and undertake your role as trustee?
6. Where do you stand on the issue of amalgamation of school boards in Niagara and in Ontario as a whole?
7. Where do you stand on the issue of provincial oversight of school closure decisions and financial transparency of the DSBN?
8. Among members of the public, there appears to be a problem with nepotism in the hiring of teachers in the board. Have you looked into this issue and, if so, what did you find out?
9. The EQAO results in the DSBN are rather troubling, but standardized testing in general is a controversial issue. What do you think of our students' results on the EQAO and about the role of standardized testing overall?
10. Many members of the public are concerned about the level of support for students with special needs. They have also expressed concern about the continuity of staff assigned to particular individuals and the job security of those staff members. What is your position on how the DSBN is doing supporting students who have special needs and the role of Educational Assistants in providing that support?
11. What do you believe is the role of the trustee in supporting participatory democracy and the role of parents in school board operations?
12. Additionally, please provide links to your web site and/or Facebook page and twitter handle.
This post reflects whom I've decided to endorse and this summary post explains why. As usual, here is a list of all the candidate information posts I wrote to cover the race:
These are the candidates for the District School Board of Niagara Board of Trustees.
The lack of media coverage of school board issues where I live is troubling and we have an election coming up. Education in Ontario is going through some challenges and changes and there is little opportunity to ask candidates about specific issues. So, I am going to do it and paste the results here. I'll be focussing on the St.Catharines/Niagara-on-the-Lake race because that is the one I'll be voting in. I issue a challenge to writer-citizens in Welland, Grimsby, Thorold-Pelham, West Lincoln, Fort Erie and Port Colborne, and Niagara Falls to undertake their own interviews and research to share.
Here are the general questions I will be asking all the candidates. There is some variation in wording for those who are seeking re-election versus those who are seeking election for the first time. If I have engaged in communication with a candidate in the past, I will make note of it in the email.
1. What in your background do you believe prepares you for this public office?
2. What has been your role in community volunteer work, educational activism and politics?
3. While local elections are not party-driven, do you have any party affiliations that influence your political ambitions?
4. How would you describe the current relationship between elected trustees and hired superintendents?
5. The province offers trustees various forms of procedural guidance and training in legal and procedural responsibilities of trustees. Which of these forms of guidance and training have you used and/or participated in to prepare and undertake your role as trustee?
6. Where do you stand on the issue of amalgamation of school boards in Niagara and in Ontario as a whole?
7. Where do you stand on the issue of provincial oversight of school closure decisions and financial transparency of the DSBN?
8. Among members of the public, there appears to be a problem with nepotism in the hiring of teachers in the board. Have you looked into this issue and, if so, what did you find out?
9. The EQAO results in the DSBN are rather troubling, but standardized testing in general is a controversial issue. What do you think of our students' results on the EQAO and about the role of standardized testing overall?
10. Many members of the public are concerned about the level of support for students with special needs. They have also expressed concern about the continuity of staff assigned to particular individuals and the job security of those staff members. What is your position on how the DSBN is doing supporting students who have special needs and the role of Educational Assistants in providing that support?
11. What do you believe is the role of the trustee in supporting participatory democracy and the role of parents in school board operations?
12. Additionally, please provide links to your web site and/or Facebook page and twitter handle.
This post reflects whom I've decided to endorse and this summary post explains why. As usual, here is a list of all the candidate information posts I wrote to cover the race:
Cornfields of the Sea
When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to be part of a writing workshop with author Barbara Greenwood. Every member of the workshop was to write a short story for a group anthology. I thought w
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