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10- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 21 1997 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" QUESTIONS Candidates for Trustee Durham Bd. of Education BOBBIE DREW MARTIN DEMMERS Candidates... Questions... Answers Candidates for Trustee Catholic Separate School Bd. KATHY LEFORT JOHN COUGHLIN Are you in favor of changes proposed in Bill 160? Would you support teachers if they walk off the job in an illegal strike? | am sympathetic to the teachers' views and share their desire for quality education, however | have a legal responsibility as a trustee to deliver education to the students. Therefore | can't condone an illegal strike. | am not against education reform, but Bill 160 deserves input from students, parents, taxpayers, educators and the board. I am not sure what the effects of the proposed changes in this bill will be, however, as a role model for our children and students | could not sup- port anything illegal. While many of the changes proposed in Bill 160 have been long in coming, such as as the grants being based on a per pupil rate, | have difficulty with the Province changing the collective agree- ments that have been negotiated at the local level. | believe a prolonged strike will affect the students. I am not in favor of replacing class- room teachers with non-certified instructors. Non -certified personnel may be employed as classroom assis- tants and for supervision duties. In a democracy we cannot support illegal strikes. In your view, what is the single most important issue facing education in Ontario at this time, and what must be done to address the issue? Bill 160. Transition to the new board struc- ture in Jan. '98 must be seamless for the sake of students. The Ministry must steer away from aspects that will have a nega- tive effect on students. Bill 160 will have some measure of consultation, however the accompanying regulations written by the Lt. Governor and Council will have no consultation and is causing real concern. There is a perception that Education in Canada is of lower quality than say Japan or Korea. We do have an excellent system of providing a superb education to everyone and | think our graduates must be the proof in the pudding. | believe the ministry of education is trying to do too much, too quickly. While change can be a positive step, resources and time must be available to ensure that classroom teachers are fully aware of all changes and are clear of what is expected. One important issue facing our schools is to enable the teachers to perform their tasks of "teaching," i.e. imparting knowledge, and instruction on how to study/learn, instead of being involved in non-teaching tasks (out of class supervision). What is the most important issue facing schools in Durham Region and Scugog ~ Township, and how must this issue be addressed? Since curriculum will come from a cen- tralized authority the concerns are: Durham - growth and ability to provide pupil accommodation. Scugog - reno- vations and additions to older schools. Also who will make the decision to keep smaller schools open - the Ministry or the elected local representa- tion. Scugog Township and Durham Region are high growth areas, with new subdivisions as well as echo boom children providing rapid growth. Trustees will need to substantiate this growth to the provincial government in a professional way to achieve a level of funding required to build facilities and hire teachers for this growth. Overcrowding, especially in Ajax and Pickering. Luckily Scugog Township will have a new elementary Catholic School. Construction is expected to begin this fall. A new funding model must be developed that will ensure that the Board can meet the needs of the community. Same as above. The provincial government wants to drastically alter the roles played by school : boards. Do you agree? What role do you see for boards and trustees in the future? The role will be dictated by the pro- vince sometime well after the Nov. 10th election. Hopefully trustees will be enabled to make student program and services decisions that matter in our local communities. However the definition now is "guardians of educa- tion in the community." At this point, it is not known what the new role of the trustee will be, although it will not be done for money any longer. Trustees will need to effectively communi- cate concems from local schools and tax- payers to the school board. A level head- ed, professional approach will be required with the goal of top-notch education. Although the province holds the purse strings and should be able to mandate cur- riculum and standards, there should be a strong degree of flexibility at the local level. | see this slipping away. Bureaucrats at Queen's Park may not appreciate the needs of Scugog Twp. students. We must pressure the province to listen to us. Ontario's school system needs to be overhauled at the top. Trustees will not set the mill rate nor collect taxes. Their role could become a direct liaison overseeing recommendations between the ministry, principals and school councils. How much power should school councils (parents) have? This role will be defined by the province ata later date. | would like school community councils to advise school administration on such things a discipline policy, budget priorities, climate and culture, use of schools by the community and to provide a sounding board, as well as advise to the board on budget allocation priorities. School councils with parents participation contribute greatly to each local school by providing a partnership between the school and the community. Strong school councils with much parental involvement will help students to become better educated. Local schools belong to the parents. Schools becomes a major focus in day to day life. Principals, teachers and trustees come and go, but the school is part of the community. Parent Councils must have an important role and work in partnership with administration, the Board and Church. School Councils, comprised of parents and school administrators, could assist in implementing the Provincial curri- culum. i.e. They could recommend the activities and facilities required to meet the needs and wants of their community within ministry guidelines. CANDLING The Dental Care Jor the whole family Ancient Natural [Lar Cleaning Technique as seen at the SCUGOG FESTIVAL OF HERBS! &cugog Shores Muscum Village invites you to attend a training workshop: leaning and sharing an ancient home remedy known as "EAR CONING". Through a gentle You are welcome to attend an afternoon of PORT PERRY DENTAL CENTRE 238 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY process of burning a specially designed candle, excess ear wax and dirt is non-invasively drawn out from the ear canal. Some benefits that have been reported include: vision * improved taste & smell * a ions * improved colour perception. oi ed homing vi sharpening of mental * DR. J. COTTRELL * DR. C. BANFIELD * Dr. T. KING Orthodontist Please Call - 985-845 1 ~ Periodontist * DR. J. HARDY * DR. L. GIDEON * Dr. MCINTYRE NOVEMBER 2™, 1997 11:00 AM TO 4:00 ppy PORT PERRY ARENA PORT PERRY, ONTARIO presented by: ONCE UPON A Dream Children who are are prone to infections will often benefit from a series of treatments, at times eliminating the need for ear tubes. 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