Funding RequestThe support thus far of friends and family has been enormously generous. With the campaign donations received, we've been able to put up 500 visible and effective signs across Oakville; and 30,000 geo-targeted campaign postcards are arriving in Oakville mail boxes this week. Along with social media advertising and electronic newsletters like this one. It's very difficult to gauge, but I still think it's a very close race. I hope to push the vote, with a auto-dial robo- call to Catholic Voters on Sunday afternoon. If you haven't already had the opportunity to donate, I'm hoping to raise another $750.00 to pay for the call to 14,000 Catholic voters homes. Click here to donate
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Baptism for Elementary KidsThe current Trustees of the Halton Catholic School Board have recently removed the necessity of a Catholic Baptism for enrollment in a Catholic elementary school. That decision puts us on a very slippery slope to the amalgamation of school boards in Ontario. We are sending the wrong message to our students and the Parents who do not intend to bring up their children in our faith. As Trustee, I will work to revoke this policy as a first priority.
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Catholic Education Under AttackA recent report by the Fraser Institute suggested that Provincial Government could cut into their deficit by cutting funding of Catholic students by 50%. That's just one of the many voices, from humanist/atheist groups to the Green Party of Ontario that hope to see the end of publicly funded Catholic Education. Halton needs Catholic Trustees with the conviction to defend fully-funded Catholic education and who will enact policies that maintain the distinct vision of our
faith-based system.
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Educational Assistants and Early Childhood Educators Endorse Anthony QuinnI'm very pleased to have the official endorsement
of the wonderful and dedicated Educational Assistants and Early Childhood Educators of CUPE 5200 in Halton Catholic District School Board.
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School Uniforms, Why Sole Sourced?The debate on school uniforms and subsequent votes over the past 5 years were quite divisive and I think it was unfair of the Board to use the Parent Councils to hold votes and pit yes vs. no families against each other. I am disappointed that the Board has not shown leadership on this issue. I think the uniform policy should be Board wide. (Either yes or no, but Board wide)
I support a uniform school attire, but not a sole source supplier. The current Board instituted a purchasing policy with a social justice agenda (in line with Catholic values) but used this policy as reason for selecting McCarthy's as single source supplier with associated royalty scheme and questionable product. I don't agree that the Board has the authority to write a purchasing policy that mandates how and where parents can spend our own money.
In my opinion, Parents' hard earned and hard saved money should be spent according to the Parents' own polices, not that of the School Board.
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Campaign Life Coalition Supports Anthony QuinnCampaign Life Coalition has recommended Anthony Quinn as Pro-Life and Pro-Family and is rated "supportable" by the group.
Click for link. Anthony Quinn disagreed with CLC on a few issues, including the zealous banning of books. Anthony Quinn would further allow representative of other religions and Canadian Political Leaders who do not share our faith to speak on School Board Property. Anthony also disagrees with the CLC's contention that HPV vaccine can cause a scandal to our faith and should never be considered
appropriate for our children.
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Bullet VotingBullet voting is when a voter selects just one candidate, despite having the option to vote for more than one, due to a system such as "at large voting," as is the case for Oakville Catholic Trustee. A voter helps his or her preferred candidate by not supplying votes
to potential rivals. Picking only "Anthony Quinn" of the 8 possible candidates for Halton Catholic Trustee would be the most beneficial strategy for a positive outcome in my campaign.
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The Failing "New Math" CurriculumThe current "new math" curriculum has kids, parents and teachers shaking their heads, while the School Board Trustees have their heads in the sand. In schools across the Board, younger teachers are at a loss at what to do with kids who are having
difficulties grasping the concepts, and experienced teachers have to whisper to parents...
"don't tell anyone I told you this, but yes, your child should be memorizing the times tables at home..."
The new "discovery math" has been a failure, defies common sense and is an example of fixing something that wasn't broken. As Trustee I will bring the voice of frustrated Parents to the School Board, where it has been lacking for many years. I don't agree that School Boards should throw up their hands and say.. well that's the curriculum from the Province, and there's nothing we can do. Click for news coverage of New Math
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HPV Vaccination I do not support in-school vaccine for a sexually transmitted infection with Gardasil. I believe that it should be a fully informed decision made between parents and their daughter on the advice of their trusted medical doctor
and their own research, and not based on the Provincial government's social-sexual policies or the lobbying efforts of pharmaceutical companies. While some groups would vilify parents for allowing their daughters to take the inoculation, I will not criticize a parental medical decision which hopes to decrease future risk cervical cancer in their daughters. However, a Catholic School is not the place for distribution of that vaccination.
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Current Board Policy "not to get involved" with ParentsI believe that there has been a lack of connection between Parents and the Board for the last many years. Three of our four Oakville Trustees have no children in our schools. I was shocked to find that the current policy of Halton Catholic Trustees is not to get involved with Parents.
Click to read current Policy. If a parent calls a Trustee on a matter, the are, BY POLICY, to ask the parent to talk to the teacher, and if not satisfied, talk to the Principal, and if not satisfied, talk to the Superintendent, and if not satisfied, talk to the Director of Education. They
have, through their own policy, removed one of the most important roles of an ELECTED Trustee in the Ontario School System, "As advocates for excellence in education, trustees also act on constituent complaints or requests and help to find a resolution by working with appropriate board staff, usually the director of education." I think that's a dereliction of responsibility of the only officials elected directly by the public to oversee education. As Trustee, I will be an advocate for Parents and ratepayers.
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Against Outsourcing CustodiansWho doesn't remember with some fondness the "janitor" in their elementary and high schools? My Grandfather immigrated from Scotland in the 1970s and worked for decades as a night custodian in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Board, in my own elementary school. I recognize the contribution custodians make as part of the school's staff. They offer long term outlook on care and maintenance of our building assets. The bring another out of class room set of
eyes for the safety of the children and school property. As Trustee I will work to end the outsourcing of custodial staff to lowest bid offers, and ask the Board to reassess the value of a committed custodial team.
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