9 Month Old Political Genius Kyron Makes His Daddy Proud!

  I had to share this picture of my nine month old son Kyron doing his political research on the weekend.  Like father....like son.  I sure was a proud dad to see this!

After a hectic six months of local election coverage, I figured a laid back post was in order!


PS:  I am fortunate enough to have made the FINAL ROUND in the Canadian Blog Awards!  Can you please vote for me?  Our parent blog, Calgarypolitics.com and the Enlightened Savage needs your votes also!

Video Interview With 2010 Calgary Mayoral Candidate Ric McIver

  I had the opportunity to sit down with Ric McIver this morning for a quick blog interview.  I was surprised that we were actually able to connect, given the fact that the election is less than 3 days away!  Ric had some interesting responses on the importance of the first 60 days in office, what separates him from the other candidates and his views on some major city issues, including the SW Ring Road, airport tunnel and recreation facilities in Calgary.

 Here is the video....



I apologize for the shaky hand, but I do not pretend to be a professional at all! 

I am impressed that Ric made some time for my blog and for CalgaryPolitics.com given how hectic his schedule must be right now. I know that all of the candidates are looking forward to the vote on Monday!


Also, if you do not have any plans on election night feel free to join CalgaryPolitics.com for our election party!

http://calgarypolitics.com/2010/10/13/the-only-election-night-party-you-should-even-think-of-attending/

Interview With Ward 8 & 9 Calgary Public School Board Trustee Candidate Pat Cochrane

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.




This interview is with Pat Cochrane who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 8 & 9 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?

I believe in the power of public education and the power of democracy. I believe that this is a time of major change for publicly funded education in this city and our province and I would like to be a part of that change. I have experience and the ability to innovate. I have many connections in the Calgary community which can help bring the right voices to the table to foster positive changes.



Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?

Calgary Board of Education Trustee, Wards 8 & 9 for 11 years, Chair of the Board of Trustees for 8 of those years. Chair of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area and in-school mentor. Board member, Child and Family Services Authority of Calgary and Area. Board member, Sage Theatre Society. Board member, EducationMatters, Calgary's Public Education Trust. Member of Governors for Children. Volunteer with the Samaritan Club of Calgary. Volunteer with Downstage Theatre.



What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

A future where all of our students complete high school with the skills they need to be successful in the next steps they take. Each student will understand their gifts, strengths and abilities and will take their place in our world and make a difference.



What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

I think we need to have this conversation as a community - are school boards working? It is a model that has been successful for a hundred years in Calgary but school boards are based on geography. With online learning so readily available, does a geographic school board entity make sense? I believe it is important to have local decision making in regard to public education - the form that decision making takes may need to change.



If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?

Flexible learning times and places. All learning does not need to take place in a designated school building and it does not need to take place within traditional school hours.

Pat's website is at http://patcochrane.com/

Interview with Ward 12 and 14 Public School Trustee Candidate Malik Amery

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.



This interview is with Malik Amery who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 12 &14 this term.
 
 

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?


I am proud to say that I am a product of the CBE and depiction of its success. My mandate is simply to contribute back to a system which brought me up; resurrect it back to a system which all others are measured against and then safeguard it for future generations. I am running for School Board Trustee to work towards rectifying the numerous deficiencies plaguing the public school system. I believe that the principal stakeholders (i.e. students, parents, educators and community) have been misrepresented for several years. The current Trustees have become disconnected from the principal stakeholders and have failed to recognize who exactly they are representing.

Consequently, I have elected to run for Public School Trustee with the hopes of utilizing my educational background in Economics and Accounting and my professional experience in finance with a focus on operational budgeting and collective bargaining labour analysis, to ensure that limited resources currently available are allocated as fairly and efficiently as possible. I would also immediately work towards re-establishing the medium of exchange necessary to seek the consultation of principal stakeholders and incorporate foresight in how we plan to meet the educational needs of students.

I have spent the majority of my life attaining the skill set necessary to adequately and effectively serve a Public School Trustee. I come from a family who are devoted to the enhancement of public education and who are intimately involved in provincial politics (one is a MLA here in Calgary). Utilizing both the educational and professional experiences in conjunction with the instilled importance of education from my family, allows me understand the important issues of the public school system and their direct impact on the resources of the educators and the student experience.

The quality of public education can only be secured with the continuous engagement of its principal stakeholders; the students, parents, educators, community and government, working in conjunction with strong representation which will listen to their concerns, addresses their issues and deliver on their mandates. To achieve this directive, my priorities will be explicitly aimed at increasing transparency, sustainability and accountability in the decision making process for all parties involved. Working attentively with the community, parents and students; I will demonstrate the leadership, determination, integrity and commitment necessary to ensure long-term financial sustainability and enhancement of the public education system.

I understand that students within the public education system are an extremely diverse group with very individualistic educational needs. It is fundamentally important that educators are provided with the resources to address these needs and to foster our student’s educational growth.

It has become explicitly clear that the current Trustees no longer seek stakeholder consultation; rarely employed a long-term planning perspective and do NOT have the qualifications critically needed to govern the educational system. As such, I have elected to run for School Board Trustee.

Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?

I am currently involved in the resurrection of the McKenzie Towne Farmers Market, as I believe this happening promotes family interaction, fosters communication and creates a positive community atmosphere. I have also had the privilege of volunteering on several occasions for Canadian Blood Services and The Mustard Seed. I have extensive educational knowledge in provincial politics. Concurrently, I also come from a family who are advocates of the enhancement and sustainability of public education and who are intimately involved in provincial politics.

What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

A public education system which would meet the individualistic learning needs of ALL students and seeks the engagement and participation of all principal stakeholders in the entire education process serves as the foundation of my vision for public education in Calgary. Adequate resources would be made available to ensure that educators have the educational resources, professional development programs and support mechanisms necessary to meet the needs of all types of learners. My vision entails an education system which endorses transparency, sustainability and accountability in the decision making process for all parties involved. It is a system which provides adequate infrastructure in developing communities and maintains infrastructure in mature communities. It is a system which ensures the standardization of educational programs with all students receiving the same quality and accessibility to education no matter where in the city they live. My future vision of Calgary’s education systems comprises the incorporation of more technology in the classroom, not only as an alternative or supplement to traditional teaching mechanism, but more importantly to encourage innovation in today’s students. The digital deficiency plaguing CBE classrooms must be addressed immediately to solidify not only the successful future of today’s learners but also to secure the social and economic prosperity of all Albertans. Finally and most importantly, it is an educational system which not only develops life long learners, but cultivates life long LEADERS.

What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta? What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

I do believe that independent School Boards MUST (and will) continue to exist in order to ensure the individualistic needs of the communities are identified, understood and rectified. Independent School Board sustainability is paramount to ensuring the incorporation of the ideologies, recommendations and suggestions of the principal stakeholders (i.e. students, parents, educators and community). School Boards and the School Board Trustee model MUST incorporate foresight and instil new mechanisms of how we approach education. School Board Trustees must be instilled with the legislative authority necessary to foster the autonomy of the independent school boards, ultimately enhancing their ability to respond to local concerns and address local needs. School boards must be given natural person powers; to ensure decision making authority is equivalent to those enjoyed my municipalities.

To be effective, any revisions to the School Board Trustee model MUST mitigate the barriers plaguing their ability to properly represent their communities. The re-establishment of who the Trustees represent (i.e. the principal stakeholders) is critical. Concurrently, it is fundamentally important that any changes to the current Trustee model allow for autonomy pertaining to the following areas of concern:

• Infrastructure; primarily explicit identification of how a collaborative effort could be established to provide school boards with the resources necessary to ensure adequate spaces for students.

• An unambiguous mandate which identifies the responsibilities of the school boards

• Employment provisions pertaining to the school board’s ability to hire, manage and discipline staff.

• Reinstatement of the schools boards authority to access some portion of the provincial tax base, systematically allowing them to raise funds from their communities to support local priorities and bridge funding shortfalls.

• Removal of the provision dictating school boards seek authorization from the Minister of Education when appointing Superintendents and negotiating their contracts.

If a new School Board Trustee model is to be constructed, it is critical that it provides Trustees with the resources and legislative influences needed to foster and safeguard the collaboratively determined vision, values and principles of the independent School Boards which they represent.

If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?

A radical (yet realistic) mechanism that I would explore to improve the school system pertains to the consolidation of non-instructional “backstage” organizational departments, (i.e. Human Resources, Payroll, Insurance, Finance, Legal and Accounting) within ALL school districts to capitalize on synergizes and gain economies of scale. What must be made explicitly and unequivocal clear is that the savings achieved via the consolidation would be re-invested into attainment of additional classroom resources; the development of new infrastructure and the maintenance of existing infrastructure. It is a basic business practise which has been successfully employed within other government departments and throughout the private sector. Non-instructional service consolidation MUST occur with open communication and with the consultation from all principal stakeholders; ensuring the shared services achieve a balance between flexibility and accountability.

Plagued by a cyclical economic climate and a myriad of other issues, the provincial governments funding for school boards has become nearsighted and erratic. To fulfill budgetary commitments, the public school board has opted to remove educators and resources from the classroom or “front stage”, rather than to seek organizational efficiencies from within the “backstage” non-instructional service departments via consolidation, certainly a vehicle worth exploring.

Interview with Ward 6 and 7 Calgary Public School Board Trustee Candidate Dr. George Lane

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.



This interview is with Dr. George Lane, who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 6 & 7 this term.
 
 

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?


I want to be re-elected to help ensure that the CBE retains its Mission, Vision, and Values; ‘grabs the inspiring future’; advances from a Good to a Great system and provides each student with a rich and diverse range of choices to prepare themselves to thrive in a rapidly changing and competitive world.

Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?

PAST BOARDS - Developmental Disabilities Resources Centre, DDRFoundation, Calgary Chamber of Commerce, The Banff Centre, Banff School of Advanced Management, MS Society, U of C Senate, Management Education Coordinating Council of Alberta, Reform and Canadian Alliance Constituency Associations [Calgary Centre], U of C Emeritus Society

CURRENT BOARDS – Education Matters, imagineCALGARY, Calgary Board of Education

What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

To go from Good to Great !

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.”[Jim Collins]

Two major strengths of the CBE that can be the basis for development of a distinctive international reputation are technology, the game-changer of our age, and the high quality of our teaching cadre.

From Technology in the Classroom to Technology as the Classroom -

The CBE is well positioned to move in this direction given its pioneering work with CB e-learn and with the National Sports School which provides for student athletes to be ‘at school’ on their laptops from anywhere in the world.

The advantages of a school system moving toward a LEARNSHIFT model that transfers a significant portion [e.g. 20%-40%] of the work of learning in high schools out of the classroom setting and into the students' technological domain would include the following:

1] Increased Student Satisfaction 2] Increased School Completion Rates 3] Greater Flexibility and Community Engagement 4] Greater Productivity 5] Better Preparation for Post-High School Education, and 6] Infrastructure Cost Savings

Enhance the Status of the CBE Teaching Cadre - Most CBE parents appreciate that the CBE has good teachers who are competent and caring professionals. This is as it should be.  Yet it is not clear that Alberta society accords to our teachers the status one would expect given Alberta’s success in the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessments.

The CBE has increasingly high expectations of its teachers. It recruits widely across Canada and abroad to find the best it can. Most CBE teachers engage in life-long learning, and avail themselves of professional development opportunities. Citizens of Calgary should know, and prospective teachers should know, that the CBE is a preferred employer for those teachers wishing to join a collegial community of professional educators each of whom puts students first.

What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?


Change is in the air.

The most significant change in recent years in Canada is probably the merger of Catholic school boards with Public/Protestant boards in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador. There is apparently a sizable lobby for doing something along these lines in Ontario. And I gather a small lobby in Alberta. While it may happen here eventually, I think it will be more of an evolutionary change. For example more flexibility for students to move back and forth from one system to the other.

A more likely change in the short run, I expect may be individuals being appointed as Trustees without being elected. This will be controversial. I expect it will end up in some sort of negotiated settlement between the Government and the ASBA.

If I had my druthers I would ensure that school board boundaries are contiguous with City boundaries at least for the major cities. I also believe that it is probably time to de-link the wards for Trustees from the wards for Aldermen. This would permit the formation of school board Wards that would be more congruent with five administrative areas of the CBE.



If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?

There was a time when Alberta school boards could levy taxes. The advantage of this system was that it provided a direct link between taxpayers and their local school board. Trustees had to consider carefully their needs and defend their decisions. There was a check and a balance in this arrangement.

I believe our history shows that, while there were great debates the citizens were more involved, more influential in the process and got what they collectively were willing to pay for. In Calgary’s case the public decided in 1903 they wanted ‘the best schools and the best system’. That decision led to the building of Calgary’s great sandstone ‘Cathedrals of Learning’ many of which are still in use today.

In my view, I think it would be very desirable to decentralize some of the taxing power back to the school boards at least to the four Metro Boards in Calgary and Edmonton.


For more information on Dr. Lane, head over to his website at http://www.georgelane.ca/

Interview With Ward 1 and 2 Calgary Public School Trustee Candidate Josh Traptow

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.

This interview is with Josh Traptow who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 1 & 2 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?

I'm running because I want to make a difference, as a recent former student I saw areas that worked really well in schools and in the system but areas that could be improved upon as well. This also gives me a chance to give back to my community and to a system that I give credit to who I am today. From an early age my parents instilled in me that being involved and giving back to your community is important and this gives me a chance to do just that.



Can you share some of your past volunteer and/or Board of Directors experience?

Volunteering it very important to me, it allows me to be involved in areas I have an interest in. Throughout my K-12 education I was involved in student leadership positions ranging from a member-at-large to co-president. This experience allowed me to work with the school administration and the parent council on making school an enjoyable place for students and teachers to be. I have also been very involved in politics since 2006. I have worked with many Calgary MLAs and cabinet ministers on membership drives, fundraising and during elections. In February of this year I joined the Calgary Stampede's Next Generation Committee which has a mandate to "engage the next generation of audiences as patrons, supporters and volunteers of the Calgary Stampede."



What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

My vision is one of education for all, where everyone who enters the CBE graduates with a grade 12 diploma and we have given them the skills to move on to some sort of post secondary school and to be a member of society. We will accomplish this by working with students and parents to see how best students learn and allowing them to do so.

We need to be fiscally responsible, we need to work and live within our means. The province grants us a certain sum of money each year and we need to the best of our abilities work within that budget, teachers and support staff are the last area which should be cut. They are the bread and butter of our schools so to speak and if we are laying them off class sizes are going to increase simply because we don't have enough teachers.


School need to be a cornerstone of their communities, they are already in a sense but we need to find better ways to incorporate them into every day activities. One example I hear time and time again, Valley Ridge (which is in my wards) doesn't have a community centre or school yet. But one way to solve them is to build them a community school, a gym, library and offices/administration area as a permanent structure for the school and community association to share and then to add portables for the classrooms. This idea was developed by the community association and the local MLA and Alderman and they are currently working with the Government of Alberta, the CBE and the City of Calgary on coming up with a plan that works for everyone.



What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

Trustees need to have a better defined role I think, we need to work with the province on a model that works on a broad perspective but can still be broken down so that it fits each jurisdiction perfectly. We need to find a way that represents all of our constituents, those with kids in the system and those whose kids have graduate or don't have kids’ period. Everyone pays taxes that go towards the school system and they have to have accountable and effective representation. A super board like the province did for health care would not work for schools; each and every jurisdiction is different.


If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?


Let kids decide what time they want to start in the day, some kids have a really tough time starting to learn at 8 or 8:30, so if by 10 they are wide awake and ready to learn why not do that, the kids have a better learning span and are able to understand more of the material they are being taught. Perhaps there are some teachers as well who prefer to start later as well so it could be a win win for all!

In practical sense this idea wouldn't work very well but hey the question asked for a radical idea

Please visit my website at www.joshtraptow.ca for more information.

Interview With Ward 11 and 13 Public School Trustee Candidate Catherine Huggerud

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.





This interview is with Catherine Heggerud, who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 11 & 13 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?

I am running for public school trustee for two primary reasons:

I believe that public education is a fundamental right for all citizens of a democracy. Education strengthens the citizen; and an engaged citizen strengthens the democracy. All the years I spent at TELUS, I believed it was my responsibility to make the organization the best it could be. With my children in the public school system, I believe my education and experience can contribute to the CBE by building on its strong past and continually improve it. Like all parents, I want the best for my children.

Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?


I was active in student government from junior high on. I served one term on an undergraduate student’s club, AIECSEC as Vice President, Special Projects. AIESEC (Association of Students in Economics and Commerce) is the world’s largest run student organization in the world with over 50,000 members and chapters in more than 107 countries. My term as Vice President saw the most successful Careers’ Day at the University of Alberta campus at that time. We connected a significant number of students with potential employers. While a graduate student at the University of Alberta, I served one term as Vice President, Communications of the Graduate Students’ Association. I am an active classroom volunteer with the CBE and find this to be an excellent way of appreciating what happens at the front line of teaching. The most recent significant volunteer project was the cumulation of a thirty year project from my elementary school. In 1980, we buried a time capsule in the school yard to be opened by the class of 2010. I was actively involved in 1980 as the lead of both the fundraising committee and a cultural artifact committee. Recently, this involvement focused on three components, raising funds for the class of 2010, locating a revolutionary teacher who gave up teaching in the early 1980s, and locating 18 classmates now spread around the world.


What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

My vision for public education in Calgary rests on four key premises. These are:

• Flexible – the education system needs to be flexible to meet the constantly changing demands of the various stakeholders. The CBE has done an outstanding job ensuring flexible programming for students. We need to ensure our systems and processes are flexible as well to support parents, teachers and students as they navigate public education.



• Fun – the education system needs to engage students to ensure students believe that learning is fun in order to promote life-long learning. When I was a grade three student in the mid-1970s, we still memorized multiplication tables. Now my grade three son comes home every day and informs me of how much math “rocks”. We need to ensure students have this passion for life- long learning.



• Forward looking – the education system need to ensure it is looking down the road and not in the rear-view mirror. Historically the education system was designed for the manufacturing economy. We need to ensure our education system is designed for the information age and the creative economy.



• Fiscally responsible – the education system must remain fiscally responsible. We know funding grants are limited as are opportunities for revenue generation. We need to work with granting agencies to ensure we have a system that meets our needs now and in the future. Once we have funding dollars, we need to ensure we are using those funds prudently.



What do you think the future of School Boards in Alberta is? What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?


I think the future of school boards in Alberta is up for debate under the new Education Act. I suspect there is a movement to create one "superboard" for schools as we have done for healthcare. I believe the incoming trustees are going to need to have a clear position and a strong voice to navigate through the process. I am personally not convinced that a “superboard” model is best for public education in Alberta but I also do not believe the current system is perfect either. For example, across the province the ratio of trustees to schools varies widely. We need to clearly define the role school boards are to play. If trustees are to be elected politicians with constituency responsibilities, we must

ensure they have the resources to engage the community effectively. For example, if an expectation of the community is that the trustee will attend every parent-council meeting for every school (as is the case in St. Albert), it would be impossible to do in the wards I am running in. Wards 11 & 13 have over thirty schools, so with one parent-council meeting per night, I would need to be at a school every night of the week including the weekends. Therefore, we need to work out a community engagement model that meets the needs of the community.



If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?

I believe one of the greatest challenges facing public education is the soon to be shortage of

teaching professionals. We are faced with increased programming options beyond the traditional core subjects and we are faced with the retirement of many boomer teachers. In order to address these issues, I would like to work with Alberta Advanced Education to ensure

we have professional programs available to certify new teachers. It is unrealistic to expect a mid-career professional automotive mechanic to take five years out of his or her career to become a teacher, yet we desperately require these skill sets in our high schools. Therefore, my

radical idea is to change the way we certify teaching professionals at mid-career points. This should allow us to open up the teaching profession to those professionals whose skill sets we require and allow us to address the baby-boom retirement challenge when it occurs.

Interview With Ward 11 and 12 Catholic School Board Trustee Kim VanKosh

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.





This interview is with Kim VanKosh, who will be running for election as the Catholic School  Board Trustee in Ward 11 & 12 this term.

Why are your running for the position of school board trustee?


I am passionate about Catholic Education and want to be involved in the decisions that shape our school systems. About 18 months ago, I attended one of the initial sessions for the Inspiring Education Initiative and that involvement reinforced my decision to run as a candidate for School Trustee.

I believe that the Board of Trustees needs more diversity and that the Board needs someone with a new perspective. I have children that are in elementary school and have a different perspective than a Trustee whose children have graduated out of the school system. None of the current Trustees have children in elementary school.

Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?



Nearly all of my past volunteer experience has been with youth and children. I have volunteered for Junior Achievement, Street Teams and sat on the Board of Directors for Interfaith Youth and Family Services. I have also sat on a condominium Board of Directors in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I was Vice-Chair for one year and Chair for two years on Cardinal Newman School Council and Cardinal Newman Education Society. I also volunteer regularly at the school that my sons attend.


What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

A Catholic education system that provides support for all students, prepares students for the 21st century, results in students being life long learners and where all students graduate high school and have positive experience along the way.



What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

I am assuming that this question is inquiring about the governance model for school boards. At this time I would not make any changes to the school board trustee model.


If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?

Improvement of our school systems comes best from our stakeholders. This means that we obtain the input of School Councils, parents, parishes, students and other community members. This is not a radical idea but rather a practical and likely an effective idea. The Calgary Catholic School Board has made some strides here, which can be further built upon.


Kim's website is at http://www.kimvankosh.ca/Kim_VanKosh_for_School_Trustee/About_Me.html

Interview With Ward 11 and 13 Public School Board Trustee Julie Kearns

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.

This interview is with Julie Kearns, who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 11 & 13 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?


I care about education. I care about democracy and the crucial role of local communities to govern their affairs. I am known as a visionary leader, and I have experience as an educator; community volunteer; parent & grandparent; knowledge of best practices in educational governance; expertise in measuring outcomes; sensitivity to the political dimensions of education; and belief in our capacity to change and adapt to the future.

My commitment, as the Public School Board Trustee for Wards 11 & 13 is to advance the vision of Inspiring Education, and I commit to:

• lead strategically

• modernize the role of trustees

• provide effective stewardship of resources

• respect teachers’ professional role as a key to a successful system

• seek new ways to engage the community in educational governance


Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?
  I recently retired from the University of Calgary as “Senior Instructor Emeritus” where I was Director of the Student Resource Centre, Academic Development Coordinator for the Faculty of Continuing Education, Director of Continuing Professional Education for the Faculty of Social Work, and senior instructor teaching courses in Program Evaluation, Human Performance Technology, Organizational Behaviour, Leadership, E-learning, and Adult Education.

Living in the Oakridge community for my adult life, I am an active community volunteer and I have volunteered with the: Calgary Girls’ School, Calgary Glenmore Liberal Association, University of Calgary Faculty Association, Centre for Non-Profit Management, Chinook Educational Consortium, YWCA, Calgary Community Adult Learning Association, Calgary Birth Control Association, Delta West Advisory Committee, John Ware Junior High School Technology Committee, Central Memorial High School Committee for Healthy Living, Nellie McClung Parent Advisory Committee, University of Calgary Senate and CUSO. I worked on parent advisory councils during my children’s education journeys and have several years experience as a school board trustee through my involvement with the Calgary Girls’ School which is a charter school. As a Director, I participated in strategic planning, policy development, financial management, community relations and accountability processes.

What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?

I share the vision of education to 2030 as expressed by Albertans and captured in the document “Inspiring Education: a dialogue with Albertan’s 2010.” http://www.inspiringeducation.alberta.ca

Education must move from an industrial model of education toward a 21st century learning model that includes: helping students learn to take control of their own learning; shifting our focus from schools to education; centering on the learner; moving from content to building competencies; and using technology to support the creation of and sharing of knowledge.

However, the call for educational transformation has dominated educational literature for the last 25 years, and the record of substantive change has been poor. Education is by its nature “political” and educational institutions are bureaucratic - resistant to change. The quality of a school system rests on the quality of teachers and instructional innovation. Teachers are typically isolated in their classrooms, and research reveals that school-wide improvements in student learning accrue in schools whose work cultures are collaborative. I believe the key to realizing the vision of “inspiring educations” is to stimulate and support innovation throughout the system by encouraging collaborative action research.

What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?


School board roles are defined by the Education Act but in recent years government actions along with public apathy have eroded the relevance of school boards. Indeed, on page 10 of the Inspiring Education document hints at doing away with elected school boards and says “governors could be elected, appointed, or recruited from the community.”

The current School Act is under review, and it has been deeply criticized as being highly prescriptive and prescriptive. I (and presumably most citizens) was unaware of the review, and I believe the new Act must establish an enabling framework that will provide:

• natural person powers to school boards

• local-decision-making

• financial flexibility to boards

• responsibility and accountability for results to local boards

At the local level, I would seek opportunities to modernize the roles of Trustee in the following ways:

• shift the governance model from a rules based or policy governance model to a “principles based” approach.

• shift accountability for learning excellence away from accountability to bureaucracy.• seek new ways to engage the community in educational governance.



If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?
Closing schools due to low enrollment is a poor option, and instead I would advocate for changing the use of schools to become School-Community Hubs or Full Service Schools. Community Hubs exist within a number of municipalities in Canada, US, Australia and Europe

When a neighbourhood school closes, a hub is lost, and the community suffers, especially a disadvantaged one. More and more families cannot fully meet their children’s multiple needs critical to their academic success. Schools alone cannot overcome all of the barriers to learning. A School-Community Hub is both a place and a partnership approach that mobilizes an array of resources, services, supports and opportunities, leading to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities. More efficient use of tax dollars is realized through the co-location of services into one publicly funded facility. As an example within 5 kilometers of the Oakridge/Palliser communities, there are offices for Alberta Child & Family Services, Family Resource Centre, Primary Care Network and numerous day care centres, fitness centres, senior citizen residences, and a Library. School-Community Hubs require school-level and municipal level of governance and decision-making, along with inter-governmental and intra-governmental co-operation. The recent revisions to the Municipal Government Act may facilitate this vision. For more information go to:

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/ourselves/docs/OSOS_Summer10_Preview.pdf


Julie Kearns, MEd,

Seeking election as Public School Trustee in Wards 11 & 13

www.juliekearns.ca

Interview With Ward 8 & 9 Public School Trustee Candidate Laura Shutiak

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.



This interview is with Laura Shutiak,  who will be running for election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 8 &9 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?


  I watched with interest the budget debate in June. Trustees were presented with a budget that had a $29 million deficit and the loss of 292 school-based positions. Only 5 trustees had questions, and most of them, only had one question. Then, when they "debated" the budget all but one trustee just blamed the province for not giving them enough money. There was no oversight. No one asking really tough questions. I felt that the board was falling down in their duty as governors of the system.

The $285 million Education Centre Lease, which was approved by trustees months after the deal was signed, is just the most outrageous example of spending on administration that is out of control. We must put our priority on schools and children. We need trustees who represent parents and voters, engage in a meaningful dialog with the community and act as governors of our $1 billion investment in education.


Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?

  Since my oldest child started school eight years ago, I've been an active member of two school councils and constant volunteer on a range of school committees, from fundraising, to events to traffic safety. I've also been involved on the executive of the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils, the last three as president. As CAPSC president, I helped introduce a new website and online newsletter and organized opportunities for parents to connect with key decision-makers, including a January meeting with the Minister of Education and a dozen Calgary MLAs.

What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary.

I dream of a system where every child loves school and learning and feels they are part of a school community, where parents and communities are welcomed into schools and have a vital say in the decision-making that impacts their children.


What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?



  Public input is the foundation of a strong public education system. The link from the public to the board is through the trustee. I'd argue that in Calgary, that link is broken. Our trustees are so tied to administration that you can't tell the difference. (When the Education Centre Lease was reported, our elected trustees deflected all questions to Administration. The Chief Superintendent was on the radio this morning defending the lease.) Where are our elected officials.? That is who we task with overseeing the system. They must be held accountable for their actions. I think we need to look strongly at the governance model to ensure trustees are empowered to oversee the system and budgets, and can plan for the long and short term, and have the ability to do the generative, system changing work that is needed to improve our schools moving forward.



If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be.

Let's take away curriculum, so kids could learn about what interests them. But since curriculum is a provincial matter. I'd better go another way. Let's get kids/parents to be able to pick the teachers they want. (Now, I know this could cause problems, because everyone may want the same teacher . . .but wouldn't that shake things up at schools and make teachers think a bit differently about what they do? ) My other idea would be to give first year teachers smaller class sizes - it's not very radical, but it hasn't been done yet.

Laura's website is at  http://www.laurashutiak.ca/

Interview With Ward 12 & 14 Public School Trustee Candidate Carol Bazinet

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.



This interview is with Carol Bazinet, who will be running fro re-election as the Public School Trustee in Ward 12/14 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?

CB: The important role that trustees play in public education is based on their representation of the public. Since all of the public can not be “at the table” for debate, trustees must do their best to represent as many views as possible. I really enjoy talking to members of the public about their education system and what their hopes and dreams are for their children. That is why I would want to be a trustee.

Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?



CB: Serving as trustee for Calgary Board of Education since 2003, President of Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils for 3 years, Board of Directors for Alberta School Boards Association 3 years, member of Board for Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (continuing) 2 years, Vice-Chair Calgary Board of Education, 3 years, member and currently Chair of CBE Audit committee – 7 years.



What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary?


CB: Vision for education system is that 100% of students complete high school. By the time students complete high school they have some understanding of their direction for the future.



What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

CB: I believe school boards will continue to exist but we must recognize some of the recent changes to our education funding and delivery model in order to make the current role of boards more relevant. Per pupil funding implies a different model for school boards in that in order to be successful they must provide services that parents/students want in order to maintain student numbers. We need to ask serious questions about who school boards represent when many constituents in Calgary send their children to schools run by school authorities other than CBE or Calgary Separate and yet those are the only two boards they can vote for on election day.

If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?


CB: One radical idea would be to base our system on outputs not on inputs. So if a student knows the information in a course, can they write an exam and get credit? Do all students need exactly the same number of hours of instruction before they write a test or produce a document? If a student wants to work independently (or students working in a group) and they can produce great representation of their knowledge and skills, do we have to ask them to conform to certain rules? How can we change our system to better measure what students know, what they want to explore, what their thinking abilities are, how they are preparing themselves for the future? Our goal is to have lifelong learners.

Carol's website is at http://www.carolbazinet.ca/ 

Interview With Ward 12 & 14 Public School Board Trustee Wendi Moore

This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I  feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.



This interview is with Wendi Moore, who will be running for Public School Trustee in Ward 12/14 this term.

Why are you running for the position of school board trustee?

WM:   The reason I am running for Public School Trustee in Ward 12 and 14 is to get back to involving the “public” in public education. We have too many instances of the current Board looking out for their interests and not for the interests of the public (parents/students) at large. We have instances of designated schools not properly aligned with new communities where, for instance, many students will take a bus past a school on their way to their designated school. We have children in the K-4 age group that are boarding buses in Ward 12 at 7:20 a.m. to reach school for 8:00 a.m. and then leaving school at 2:45 p.m. only to arrive home to an after school dayhome or go to an after school program if the parents are not lucky enough to be able to leave their work early enough to be home for their children. We are moving from a community based school system to a system that is not thinking of the students and parents when they assign communities to what they feel should be their designated schools. I am passionate about the fight for new schools to be built in the SE communities in Ward 12 and built as K-9 schools and not the current K-4 and 5-9 situation we currently have.


Can you share some of your past volunteer, political and/or Board of Directors experience?

WM: I am currently the President of the New Brighton Community Association and have been involved on many volunteer Boards, including the Seton Society, SECRS (South East Recreational Society), FCC (Federation of Calgary Communities), Trico Centre for Wellness (formerly Family Leisure Centre) and the Partners in Planning program with the FCC. I am also involved with the Calgary Police Services and the Calgary Block Watch program working to make New Brighton one of the safest communities.


What is your future vision of the education system in Calgary

WM: Well, that is a tough one. My vision may not be everyone’s vision, but, with the help of other Trustees and the stakeholder’s such as parents/children, we can work toward a vision that is inclusive of what an education system should be like. This is part of putting the “public” back into public education. We need to put a plan in place similar to PlanIT Calgary to ensure we follow a guided path based on what our current level of standards are for education and strive to make that better and surpass those levels through a proper plan of action.


What do you think the future of School Boards are in Alberta. What changes would you make to the school board trustee model?

WM: It is important to keep hold of the current model of what exists in Alberta now, but expand upon this model. We need to further break down the trustee model by having one ward per Trustee. There is nothing but growth in place for the City of Calgary, which means more communities and more schools to look after. One Trustee for two Wards only creates frustration and burn-out for Trustees as well as the problem of not engaging the community properly or being able to give the same amount of time each school deserves with respect to interaction.

If you could implement one radical idea to improve the school system, what would it be?


WM: If I could implement one radical idea it would be to hold community meetings on a monthly basis to gain feedback from parents as to what they feel are being done right or wrong within the schools their children attend. This would include having community based committees to provide a “scoring system” on how well the community, the students and the schools themselves feel their elected Trustee is doing. There is, as far as I know, no performance evaluation system in place to guide both the Trustee and the community at large on how they are doing with their respect to what they are hired for.

Thank you Shane for the opportunity to answer your questions and please visit my site at www.wendi4trustee.com to gain more insight into my background and platform.

Is Calgary Ward 14 Alderman Candidate CandMong Getting Desperate? Mystery Of The Missing Signs!

 Desperate times call for desperate measures?  In what appears to be a standard campaign tactic, Peter Demong's campaign manager Craig Chandler has once again woven himself into the spotlight, which may be causing a distraction for Mr. Demong's campaign heading into the final two weeks of the Ward 14 election.  Due to the way that Chandler has integrated himself into this campaign, ( which it is sometimes hard for the public to tell who the actual candidate is) I have decided to affectionately refer to this uni-candidate as ChandMong.  ( Seeing that Chandler sometimes gets my sense of humour, I hope to avoid a govern yourself accordingly letter. )


 In what I can only describe as a desperate attempt to garner some media attention, Ward 14 alderman candidate Peter Demong did a strange interview on CBC radio yesterday.  In this interview, Mr. Demong claimed that close to 400 of his campaign lawn signs have "mysteriously" disappeared from both public and private property in the area.  His campaign manager also sent out an email to the other candidates which was shared to the media outlet, in which he attacks competitor Richard Dur's age and "immaturity", leading some to belive that they where potentially hinting that Dur's campaign was behind the sign removals.

 At first glance, the story looks like it has potential to be a serious accusation.  If you look closer though, I feel that it really is a silly attempt to gain some much needed attention for the Demong team.  Richard's response on the CBC, in which he classifies the statement as a "diversionary tactic" and "desperate attempt by Craig Chandler to revive a dying campaign", may be spot on.  Chandler also tried a similar tactic last fall, in a last ditch effort to try and deliver some sympathy ( and votes) to his last candidate, Mark Dyrholm, during the Wildrose Alliance leadership campaign last fall.

I want to be clear that I think that anyone that removes or damages a candidates campaign sign is disgusting and there is absolutely no room for that type of politics in my world.  These candidates spend a lot of money and time in ordering and placing these signs, and I really find it frustrating to imagine this vandalism/theft happening.  That said, I am having a hard time imaging how ChandMong's claim that 400 signs are missing and an even harder time imagining that it was another candidate that did it.
Logistically, how is it possible for any group to stalk through the night and remove 400 signs from private and public property without warranting a police call? Perhaps ChandMong's opponents hired a few stealth ninjas and leprechauns to pull off this dastardly deed!  So if the signs went missing....( and now ruling out the ninjas) what could the reason possible be for these signs to disappear? 

 Here are some of my thoughts on what happened....

1) Perhaps some of Craig Chandler's recent comments attacking Calgary Southeast MP, the Hon. Jason Kenney have turned some of Chandmong's potential supporters away, casing them to remove their signs in protest?

 Last week, Chandler posted the following tweet..... ( which was promptly removed, but see a copy of it below.) " I find it interesting that Jason Kenney is once again picking a fight with me. It might be time to take him out in a nomination. "

 
The fact that Chandler would attack one of the hardest working, most respected and popular politicians in Canada is shocking.  It is even stranger given the fact that ChandMong position themselves as the Conservative Candidate in ward 14.  Perhaps these attacks on Jason Kenney have caused some supporters to pull their signs in protest of Chandler's questionable comments?

 2)  Perhaps many homeowners removed the ChandMong signs from their lawns, as they were placed there in error?

 I have spoken to a few of my friends that live in the ward and many have noticed that their neighbors had Demong signs placed on their property without their knowledge, which were promptly removed by the homeowner.  The fact that ChandMong seem to have strategically locked up ever corner house with a  sign seems rather odd ( or statistically magical?) to me, but perhaps some of the ChandMong team had the wrong addresses or placed them on private property incorrectly?  Craig has offered to show me the sign database that they have, which I have not yet seen though. I would assume error would be the cause of misplaced signs, rather than willful incorrect placement.

3) Perhaps most of the information from Criag's Calgary Egmont and/or Mark Dyrholm nomination database is out of date?  Maybe the past supporters have moved and no longer want signs on their lawn?


  On another note, I had also heard some disturbing news from a resident of Ward 14 about some potential questionable membership list use by the ChandMong campaign.  I was told of a call from the Demong office trying to drum up support of the resident.  When they asked where they got their name/address, the volunteer claimed that they got it from a Wildrose Alliance membership list.  When told that it was illegal to do so, they backtracked and said that the resident must have completed a Demong survey or met them at the door, to which the resident claims never happened.   I wonder how the Wildrose would respond to such a claim as I can imagine that they would prefer that their private membership list is not being used for unauthorized purposes.  If this tactic is being used ( and I would hope that it is not) this just reeks of desperation.

 I do believe that the voters of Ward 14 will see through these tactics and not be influenced by these actions.  This is going to be a really interesting race to watch and I hope that it stays clean the rest of the way.

Shane

Calgary Ward 12 Alderman Sign Review

 Signs, Signs....everywhere there's signs!

  With The 2010 Calgary municipal election in full swing, I thought I would take a look at some of the signs that the Ward 12 candidates are using this campaign.  Since September 20, the signs have popped up like uncontrolled weeds, which I find distracting while driving.  I understand that they are a huge component of local campaigns, but I find the mass placements a little tacky at times.

 I thought I would share what the Ward 12 candidates signs look like, as of September 27, 2010 when I took these pictures anyway.....

Al Browne

  Al's signs are big and bright.  Driving through the ward, I see hundreds of signs on private lawns.  They are professional and well made.

Shane Keating

Like Al Browne, Shane's large signs are big and bright but with a "hokey, down home" kind of feel to them.  Shane's little signs are hard to read with their green on white design, but they too are scattered throughout the ward, mostly in strategic public places.

Roger Crowe

  This is probably the most creative campaign sign in Calgary right now.  I have not seen many of them, but they definitely stand out.  Although I  had to laugh when my wife said to me, "doesn't a black crow symbolize death?"....

Ben Sim

 Ben's signs were honestly hard for me to track down.  I have not found any on residential lawns yet, and they are sporadically placed ( eg. one per main road) in the ward.

Rory Rotzoll

  When I took these pictures on Monday, I could not find a single Vote Rory sign in the ward.  I took this one at the Mayoral forum ( and in doing so, dropped my video camera, which Rory found and returned to me!) as there were none up in the neighborhood.  Rory has since been placing small lawn signs in and around the ward. 

Shane