Oakville elects three trustees to Halton's Catholic school board. The deeply divided board of trustees is coming off a tumultuous term.
The nine elected trustees spent much of the last four years mired in conflict and typically split 5-4 on almost every issue of importance. Most contentious were issues related to inclusion and gender, including a proposal to fly a pride flag at board schools for June.
Halton Parents for Change, a group that has endorsed a slate of progressive candidates, has a website that tracks board votes on contentious issues.
Two of Oakville's three incumbent trustees have opted not to run again. Helena Karabela, who is running for another term, consistently voted with the minority of trustees who spoke in favour of conservative Catholic values.
Catholic school trustee candidates for Wards 1/2/3
A business professional with a finance background, Garrett Dennie wants to see the board find common ground and re-establish a culture of professionalism, efficiency and trust.
A graduate of the Halton Catholic school system and the father of two daughters, he says decisions that aren't ideological but in the best interests of students and staff must be made.
He says he would bring a pragmatic and professional approach to the role, listening to all stakeholders, avoiding pre-determined views and focusing on policies that position the board in the upper echelons of education quality.
"I view the role of the trustee to be essential in working with the Catholic School Boards to re-establish the relevance of the Church in the lives of the larger Catholic community by educating and introducing our children to the things that make the Catholic Community and faith great.
Those that hold more progressive views need to find ways to bring those with conservative views in with them and try to find the common ground that can work for both sides in the short term and, eventually, the long term.
We can't make decisions that leave one faction or the other behind – we need to refocus on the shared base common views and move towards policies that hold the common ground."
Robert Kennedy says he wants to preserve Catholic education for future generations and uphold Catholic identity and purpose.
He says his background in finance and expertise in analyzing financial statements will let him ensure the board is "prudent in the allocation of its financial resources."
He has two children attending local Catholic schools, is an assistant hockey coach in Oakville and attends St. Andrew's and St. Michael's.
"I am dedicated to fostering a school community that is infused with Catholic values and supporting parents as primary educators.
I am committed to student achievement and special education. This includes expanding and securing the feasibility of more IB, AP and STEAM programs for academic excellence. Ensuring the support and sustainability of special education is also critically important to me.
I am dedicated to fostering community support for students. This includes connecting students with community support networks that aid in their well-being. I also want to encourage students to become active in their community. Furthermore, I support police officers visiting our schools to promote community policing, student assistance and safe schools."
Alice Anne LeMay
First elected in 1980, retired teacher Alice Anne LeMay sat as a trustee on the board for 34 years and served as chair for seven years.
During that time, she was awarded the Ontario Catholic Trustees' Association Award of Merit in 2010 and the Father Mazzerolle award from the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education. She also earned a certificate in Catholic School Governance from St. Michael's College (U of T) in 2013.
"The issues facing us today are:
Proper training for new trustees, so they all understand the role of the trustee.
Making sure our schools and staff, and community understand that all children are welcome and loved so they can grow and succeed.
Run the meetings with the proper decorum and stop all the infighting. The past four years have not been impressive at all."
Family physician Alex Power says her three children in the Catholic board are her motivation to run for trustee.
She is a member and co-chair of the parent council at her children's school and part of the board's new Human Rights and Equity Advisory Council.
She says trustees need to be open-minded, able to listen to opinions that conflict with their own, and willing to advocate for students, staff and families. She says she has experience as a physician working through difficult and emotionally-charged situations with calmness and professionalism.
What three issues are most important to you?
Helping our children catch up on their learning gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes maintaining capped class sizes and providing additional resources for tutoring.
Ensuring our schools are safe for all of our students and staff. Stories of racism, harassment, and bullying are too common. The promotion of equity is a cornerstone of my platform. We need to create a clear avenue for students, staff, and parents to report instances of abuse, and we need to be transparent in the handling of these complaints.
Supporting programming that ensures our students see themselves represented."
Catholic school trustee candidates for Wards 4 and 7
Running on a platform of restoring excellence in Catholic education, Martin Gegus lives in Ward 2 but attends St. Matthew's Parish.
An IT professional, he says he is experienced in managing large, diverse teams, leading complex projects and maintaining a collaborative and results-oriented atmosphere in a high-stress environment.
"I believe in the preservation of Catholic values and a refocusing of education on academic achievement free of political interference.
The board's 2022 budget surpassed $450M. The taxpayers have a right to know if their funds are being spent in a manner that maximizes the benefits to the students, and I will support initiatives that would result in greater transparency and fiscal accountability.
Free speech and the ability to share one's views and engage in constructive dialogue are the cornerstone of a viable democracy. Students in our schools should be secure in the knowledge that educators will stand by them when they express their Catholic values and ensure an environment free of bullying, harassment and other forms of intimidation."
Ian McCombe is a software engineer who says he is distressed by the board's often chaotic and disrespectful style of functioning.
"As a professional engineer, I have a proven track record of working with others in a respectful and professional manner - something which is very much required after a contentious term in our school board."
A graduate of Halton's Catholic school board says he is a concerned parent and community member who has presented at board meetings numerous times, advocating for staff and students on matters of equity and inclusion.
"The board of trustees must become refocused. We need to centre student success, promotion of equity, advocating for the community, and responsible use of public resources. We need to re-establish the public's confidence in our board and its effectiveness.
Secondly, HCDSB must continue working towards a goal of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are still seeing far too many cases of discrimination, hate-related incidents and language, and numerous other problems which cause further marginalization of affected groups. We need to work with these communities in order to address these issues with policy changes, education, and training programs.
And finally, as the board has recently piloted programs to advance STEAM education in HCDSB schools, I would like to see these programs continue to expand, including an additional focus on arts education, in order to provide students with the best possible experience."
A chartered accountant and manager with Canada Revenue Agency, Chris Saunders says his experience supervising people in a unionized, multicultural environment has taught him how to bring together people with competing needs and objectives to accomplish the organization's broader goals.
He is a member of the St. Matthew's Parish, the Knights of Columbus and the Oakville Optimist Club.
Along with chairing a federal government Employment Equity and Diversity committee, Saunders says he championed and supported a range of social causes, demonstrating his commitment to a positive and inclusive learning environment.
"My most important issue is to work with parents, students, the church and the administration to develop a positive and forward-looking educational experience. The world is changing daily, and we need to provide our students with the technical, interpersonal and moral skills they will need to meet the challenges ahead.
The second most important issue facing the current Halton Catholic District School Board is to reunite this dysfunctional and factionalized board. The last board was so preoccupied with partisan and personal issues that many important educational responsibilities were not advanced. Banning elected representatives from attending board meetings is disenfranchising the 1000s of parents and students that these people represent.
My third most important issue is to refocus the board's priorities on education and learning, not promoting the agendas of special interest groups. The last two boards have been paralyzed by these groups and their objectives. We need to focus on issues like developing a new strategic plan, improving support for special education, Educational Assistants, mental health, building new schools and programs to help students succeed in this increasingly complex world."
Catholic school trustee candidates for Ward 5 and 6
As a human resources professional, Sylvia Agorua-Uzonwanne says she has worked with multicultural teams across different countries and industries and understands cultural nuances and the importance of representation.
"The three issues I would like to focus on are:
Supporting policies and initiatives that empower student's individuality and learning while nourishing them physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
I will also support programs that enhance our educators' skills, which I believe will, in turn, drive student achievement.
Lastly, overall community equity, representation, and inclusivity."
Helena Karabela is seeking an election for a third term as trustee. She says she is focused on academic excellence, faith formation and financial accountability.
"My achievement highlights are listed at my website and include establishing French Immersion as a permanent program open to all registrants and receiving an Award of Excellence in Holocaust Education for establishing an International Holocaust Awareness Day across all HCDSB schools.
My top three issues remain academic excellence so each student can achieve their utmost potential; to uphold and foster Catholic education and faith formation, which is the reason for our distinct school system; and financial accountability, so tax dollars are used the most effectively and efficiently to better achieve these goals of academic excellence and Catholic education."
Not sure who to support for your school board trustee? The Halton Elementary Catholic Teachers are hosting an all-candidates meeting on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 at St. Ignatius of Loyola high school.