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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 27, 2006 - 5 Few school trustee candidates their salaries capped at $5,000. was just a little bit long for this In Ward 4, Mohan Anand is the This summer, the current provin- particular time in my life," she sole candidate for the seat cur- cial government introduced a for- said, noting that she has family rently held by Susan Sheppard. mula that could see honorariums obligations that require attention. rise to a maxiSheppard is hopeful that the Sheppard has mum of next two days will see additional opted not to "I think the four year $13,158 for a candidates come forward to run run again for thing, even with a raise, is Halton public for her seat and the others on the personal rea- a big thing. It's a part-time board trustee board. sons. and $11,694 for "I think people should be For the job, but it can be a pretty a Halton elected with a mandate, and if Halton Catholic busy part-time." C a t h o l i c they're acclaimed, they don't have District School trustee. a mandate," she said. Board, four Bruce Jones, H o w e v e r, Rick Johnson, president of the candidates are Ward 5/6 candidate this election Ontario Public School Board vying for the (formerly Ward1/2 trustee) will also see Association (OPSBA), says he four trustee positions elected at large by trustees commit to the job for thinks the public has paid less four years, an increase from the attention to school boards since Oakville residents. 1997, when the province removed Veterans Alice Anne LeMay previous term of three years. Jones their right to and Ed Viana, both of whom have levy education sat on the board for 26 years, will believes that's "A lot of the time it taxes. be joined by newcomers Paul part of the reaseems like school boards son why few "A lot of the DeMelo and Tim D'Souza. time it seems Oakville, which previously people are put- are off the radar. I think like school elected three trustees to the ting forward there really is a lack boards are off Catholic board, was given an addi- their names for of understanding of the radar," said tional seat this spring when a the trustee job. what trustees do." "I think the Johnson. "I demographic restructuring think there occurred. LeMay and Viana occu- four year thing, Rick Johnson, president really is a lack py two of the current seats, while even with the of the Ontario Public of understandDavid Goch occupies the third raise, is a big School Board Association thing. It's a ing of what seat. trustees do." Goch, who could not be part-time job, However, Johnson notes that reached for comment, had not but it can be a pretty busy partschool boards are not only registered to run for trustee as of time," he says. Sheppard, who chose not to responsible for the important task press time. The lack of interest in school run again this term, supports the of ensuring the community's chilboard positions comes despite the four-year term for trustees while dren are educated, but also for likelihood that trustees will soon admitting it was part of the rea- spending significant tax dollars. son she isn't returning to the "For people not to pay attensee a significant pay hike. tion ­ they do so at their own Under the Mike Harris provin- board. "The four-year commitment peril," he warns. cial government, trustees had Continued from page 1 4th Annual Fall Truckload Sale Pay No GST and No PST on Every Warehouse Sale Item Hardwoods, Laminates and Engineered Flooring all at unbeatable prices Sun Oct. 1 10am-6pm 3 DAYS ONLY! Friday Sept. 29 10am-8pm Sat Sept. 30 10am-6pm THE FALL WAREHOUSE SALE AT ONTARIO'S LARGEST RETAILER BRAMPTON HARDWOOD FLOORS 59 Bramalea Road, Brampton 905-450-6268 1-866-450-6268 bramptonhardwood.com HOURS: Mon.- Fri. 7 am - 8 pm · Sat. 9 am - 6 pm · Sun. 11 am - 5 pm School board candidates are unchallenged and untested Unless some new challengers come forward before Friday's registration deadline, five new faces will be acclaimed as school trustees for the Halton public and Catholic school boards. From the Halton District School Board they are: · Don Vrooman, Wards 1/2 -- Vrooman, who has attended board meetings as an observer for about a decade, may move to other side of the board table as trustee for Wards 1/2. A father of three, Vrooman has been heavily involved with the local French Immersion community, as well as with school council and Home and School Associations at Pine Grove and W.H. Morden. He suggests that one of the main issues for Wards 1/2 will be ensuring equity of resources for the area's students. "At a local level, the issue will be making sure the old schools are taken care of," says Vrooman. · Phillipa Ellis, Ward 3 ­ Ellis, a mother of two students at Oakville Trafalgar High School and a former school council chair at Maple Grove public school, is the only candidate registered for the public board's Ward 3 seat. As a former registrar with an independent school, Ellis says she understands the complexity of the education system and is dedicated to ensuring public funds are well spent. "I don't believe the funding of education is going to increase any time soon, so I think that we need to be really responsible with how we spend our money," she says. Mohan Anand, Ward 4 ­ Anand is a retired vice-principal with the Toronto school board, and a former Liberal candidate for the Halton region in the 1999 provincial election. He currently works as a professor of mathematics at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Anand says he is particularly concerned with the instructional issues, including the shortage of females attracted to careers in math and science. "I think the quality of education needs a lot of attention and significant improvement." From the Halton Catholic District School Board they are: · Tim D'Souza, Oakville-atlarge ­ A father of two young daughters, D'Souza moved to Oakville in the fall of 2005. His professional background is in marketing and finance, and he has also served in a volunteer capacity on board of several non-profit agencies. He believes the board has generally been run in an efficient and effective financial fashion over the years and is interested in ensuring that continues. He adds that he would have supported the proposed board move to the Halton Region site. Paul DeMelo, Oakville-atlarge ­ A Toronto lawyer, DeMelo served as a member of the board's West Oak Trails Boundary Review Committee. rie nc you e xp e Do e: Yes No ss of sadne Feelings ng y sleepi Difficult energy Loss of ng y thinki Difficult st intere Loss of ure or pleas te n appeti Change i items, he above . most of t YES to epression u checked arch m major d If yo ing fro in a rese be suffer . ticipate you may edication e to par ational m e eligibl estig You may b ve an inv and recei study For more information, call the Research Clinic at 905-337-9580