By Rita Trichur
A last-minute rush of candidates means every Centretown school board seat will have a trustee after the Nov. 10 municipal elections.
Candidates are running in all zones, calming parents’ fears of empty seats in the new amalgamated boards.
Jean Paul Lafond, in zone 10 of the French-Language Public Board, was acclaimed last Friday when no one else filed to run against him.
“Well, I wish I could say it’s my reputation,” chuckles Lafond. “I think one of the main factors (there’s no opponent) was the money that trustees will be getting this year. At $5,000 it becomes almost semi-valued work.”
The province’s new $5,000-cap on trustees’ salaries is one reason explaining why many people waited until the 11th hour to file nomination papers. Cuts in education spending, amalgamation, Bill 160 and a possible province-wide teachers’ strike have aggravated feelings of apathy in many Centretown residents, say the candidates.
“What’s the point of running for something that can’t do anything?” says Jeff Morrison, a candidate in zone nine of the English-Language Separate Board.
“I don’t like what the Harris government is doing. They are taking power and responsibility away from school boards,” he says. “They have a slash-and-burn approach that has to be confronted at some point.”
Three other candidates are running against Morrison. Robert Allen, Stephen Kroeker and Cathy Maguire-Urban have also announced their candidacy.
For Kroeker, the main issue is amalgamation. He says Centretown ratepayers are worried amalgamation will mean higher taxes.
“Well there is certainly a possibility that amalgamation has caused a lot of disinterest,” says Kroeker. “They (residents) are disappointed and not finding it worth their expectations.”
Not only did parents and other potential candidates initially balk at the idea of running, Morrison says, but students and teachers area are also feeling left out.
“Students don’t have the necessary means to get involved,” says Morrison. “Teachers have to be able to stand up for their rights and protect the education of the children they are teaching.”
Albert Chambers, running in zone 10 of the English-Language Public Board against Anthony Galveias, says funding cuts mean some Centretown schools may close.
“The loss of local control, particularly in financing, to the province — That’s where real challenge is,” says Chambers. “The province is going to be setting so many of the rules, that it may create a very straight-jacket approach for the new local boards.”
He also criticizes the province for curbing trustees’ role in education reform.
Referring to this and the $5,000-cap, Chambers says: “This is a very conscious attempt on the part of the province to devalue the role of the trustee, not only politically but monetarily.”
The French-Language Separate Board had the hardest time attracting candidates to run in its Centretown zone. Less than 10 days before the registration deadline, not a single person was slated to run. Zone five now has three candidates vying for the job: Paul Lauzon, Diane Lemieux-Trudel and Henri Ranaivoson. None of the three were available for comment.