2014 Election Archive

I am happy to announce that I am running for Public School Board Trustee for Ward 4 in Burlington. I value the contribution that trustee's make in our community and I believe in our education system. As …an employee within the education system, I learned about issues that students are dealing with. Our students played an important role during my involvement in many of the schools in our neighbourhood. I'm a library technician and currently work for the Public Service Commission. I have worked in the public school system in Brampton and Mississauga. Navigating through the education system can be a daunting task for students and parents. I hope to help stakeholders work with school administrators to resolve issues with students. I'm also personally aware of the difficulties individuals face when trying to work through the school system. I have a degree in English from the University of Toronto, a diploma from Sheridan College and a Certificate in French from Université Laval. My goal will be to work hard to make sure your voice is heard at all levels within the school board. The most important thing you can do to support my campaign is remember to cast your ballot on October 27th, 2014. I am also requesting your help by donating to the campaign, volunteering your time and/or by taking a lawn sign. I look forward to meeting you in my travels around the community. It would be an honour to have your support October 27th, 2014 as the next Public School Board Trustee for Ward 4 in Burlington, Ontario. More

I am a Lecturer at Brock University in the Department of Education. My courses focus on Assessment and Educational Psychology. I am also fortunate enough to have been asked by the Dean to work with her …on research that focuses on Inclusion issues in school boards across Ontario. I have published, presented and edited work for Educational Journals and conferences in the UK, the US and Canada. Through my involvement in symposiums, conferences and writings I have broadened my scope on ensuring that education is made effective and meaningful for all children. I am working with colleagues and the Avon Maitland School Board in developing a movement towards a more inclusive approach to the classroom environment. My family have lived in Burlington for three years and we have two boys in elementary school. I enjoy running and find that it helps me to explore the neighbourhood around me and gives me a sense of accomplishment and stress release. More

Leah is a parent, a community volunteer leader, a school fundraiser and chair of the School Council at Burlington Central High School (BCHS). She has a strong track record of working with parents and community …members to get action on schools, and will devote herself full-time to serving you as trustee. Leah worked with neighbours to save the Lakeshore school from closing, and lead fundraising efforts for the Lakeshore playground equipment, and Co-Chaired the committee that raised $125,000 for Central's new auditorium. Leah lives in Ward 2 with her husband Desmond and two children, Carleigh and Alex who attend BCHS. More

As a mother of three young children in HDSB schools and a lecturer at McMaster University, I am passionate about education and our community. I believe education is key for developing productive and confident …young adults. Halton provided me with an excellent education through all of my formative years and I would like to ensure my children and yours experience the same. I have worked with the current board and petitioned the City of Burlington on school boundary and portable issues and I’m not afraid to advocate for what is best for the students. As your HDSB Trustee, I will be committed to working with students, parents, teachers, administrators and fellow Board members to provide a safe, equitable and productive educational environment. As a North Burlington resident for over 25 years (including attending area schools K-13), I am dedicated to serving this community and look forward to the opportunity to make a difference. More

I have lived in Burlington for 11 years when my husband and I chose this community to raise our 2 children in the Halton Board of Education, one in a mainstream class and one in a LifeSkills Class. I served …as co-chair of the C.H. Norton Parent Council and I continue to volunteer within the school. I represented C.H. Norton on a boundary review committee when the Alton Village school was being built. I attend the SEAC meetings on a monthly basis to learn more about Special Education within Halton. I believe in giving back to my community. I have been involved with the Optimist International Organization since I was in elementary school. I am an active member of the Burlington Optimist Club where I currently serve as Membership Director. My work has been instrumental in growing the Club from 7 members to the current membership of 22. I also serve on the Central Ontario Optimist District as Secretary/Treasurer. For the past 16 years I have worked as a Process Improvement Specialist, helping organizations of all sizes to improve the way they work in order to find efficiencies and ultimately save money. I believe improvements can be found in everything we do and I will bring that attitude and work ethic to the Halton Board of Education. More

My wife and I have been residents of Burlington’s Ward 6 for 11 years. We have a great sense of pride in our community, and regularly volunteer our time for community endeavors such as the Earth Day Green-up, …Clean-up.TimTimar for Trustee For the past few years, I have been actively involved with Computer Ministry (Halton/Hamilton). The organization collects, repairs and distributes computers and equipment to people in need in our community, including students. In my ‘day job’, I am the Manager of Technical Services for a Burlington based IT company. I manage a diverse team of IT professionals who support our clients throughout Canada and the United States. Problem solving, conflict resolution and cost management play an important role in my management position with the company. I am running for Public School Board Trustee for Burlington’s Wards 3 & 6 because I believe that the students and staff of the Halton District School Board deserve a safe and productive learning and working environment, while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The way our students are learning and teachers are teaching has changed dramatically in a short period of time. We must embrace technologies that enrich the learning and teaching experiences. I’m very fortunate and thankful for what I have and the people in my life. I feel that I can do more to give back to my community, however I can. I think one of the most impactful ways would be to help the students and staff of our public school board. More

Jeanne Gray has been a resident of Halton Hills for the past three decades. With 32 years of working as a teacher and administrator in public education, she is known for her collaborative approach and …excellent communication skills. She is approachable and always open and receptive to innovative ideas. But most importantly, she is a tireless worker who is committed to ensuring that fiscally responsible decisions are made that put students first. Jeanne Gray’s strong track record in public education has provided her with leadership experiences in addressing current issues in education such as student safety, transportation, class size and composition, special education supports, assessment and evaluation, facility renewal, enrolment and boundary changes, and improving access to technology and resources. She has worked effectively with students, parents, teachers and administrators in addressing these issues to ensure equity of opportunity and that safe, engaging learning environments exist for all students. Passionate and determined, Jeanne Gray will advocate strongly on behalf of the citizens of Halton Hills to make a positive difference. She will do so through her approach which has consistently been to collaborate with the community, communicate effectively, operate in a transparent manner, and make timely and informed decisions. More

I have the experience, desire, passion and dedication to continue to be your representative to the Halton District School Board. Being a Trustee is not an easy job. Since 2012, as your Trustee, I have …represented 15 schools, attended School Council meetings at all of those schools, hosted Joint Council meetings four times per year and given graduation speeches at Stewarttown, GDHS, Gardiner, MSB and Sivercreek schools. I regularly attend school events and I am visible in the community so that parents have easy access to share their thoughts and concerns with me. I grew up in this community and I know its ins and outs and I also know what is anticipated in the future. I have three children, two of whom have graduated from HDSB schools and one in Grade 10 at GDHS. I was born, raised and live in Halton Hills and graduated from Speyside, Stewarttown and GDHS (Alice Armstrong). I understand how the Halton District School Board works and am very clear on my role at Trustee. I have insight into the thoughts and opinions of our students through my work with the Student Trustees and I look for opportunities to engage and talk with students. In my career as a Trustee I attend all Board meetings and regularly attend all Board Committee meetings. I also represent the School Board on local committees including the Halton Hills Community Covenant and Centre for Skills and Training. A vote for Alice Strachan is a vote for ensuring the voices of Halton Hills are heard! More

I was appointed to the role of public school board trustee for Milton when the previous trustee resigned. My hope is to continue to work hard for the students and residents of Wards 1, 6, 7 & 8 after the …upcoming election. I have been involved with the Halton District School Board for a number of years, first as a parent attending school events and school council meetings, then as someone on school council and helping to organize and run those very same events. I have also had the opportunity to volunteer in the classroom, introducing young students to computer programming and robotics. An educator by nature, I hold both bachelor and masters degrees in Education. Most of my career has been in the post-secondary sector: I spent over a decade working at the University of Toronto and currently teach in the School of Applied Computing at Sheridan College. My background gives me a unique perspective from which to consider elementary and secondary school governance. If you find you agree with my approach to education in Milton and Halton, I would appreciate your support on October 27, 2014. Thank you. More

Let me introduced myself and tell you why I am running for the trustee. I grew up in a town in India which is famous for its educational and training institutions. So, learning and education have always …been part of me from an early age. I graduated in Computer Science and after working for a few years I immigrated to Canada in 1997. In 2004, I moved to Milton and shortly thereafter I completed my MBA. I found Milton to be a quiet and progressive town and a perfect place to raise a family. I live here with my beautiful wife and two children. I have seen the progress this town has achieved and I am proud to call it my home. Life has been good to me here in Canada and over the years I have often wondered and questioned myself what does it mean to be a Canadian? What is my place in the society? The answer was that I need to be engaged at some level publically in order to understand and contribute in a meaningful way. I started out by volunteering for non-profit organizations that are engaged in Education, Learning and trade. Among the Organizations I have volunteered/volunteer include Junior Achievement, United Way, Project Management Institute, and Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce. I am currently community director for Project Management Institute (PMI) for their Information Systems Community of Practice; Chair of the IT committee at Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce and I am co-organizer of Microsoft SharePoint/Office 365 technology meetup groups in GTA. As part time faculty I have taught web courses to college students at Sheridan. I am a firm believer in Adult Literacy as well and I am a member of Literacy North Halton where I have volunteered and taught the "Essential Skills Computer Training For the Workplace" course. Volunteering has allowed me to get to know a lot of amazing people and get an appreciation for this great land that is our nation. While I drive immense satisfaction from my work as a volunteer, I have always felt a calling that I need to engage at the public level to understand the issues that affect us all as Milton residents. Since I am no politician and education is what I understand best I was delighted when a friend suggested that I should stand for the Halton District School Board (English Public) Trustee for wards 1, 6, 7 and 8. As your trustee it will be my endeavour to understand the issues and concerns of wards 1,6,7,8 parents and to bring your voice to the board. Ours is a growing community and like any growing community we have our challenges. I feel confident that with your support we can overcome the challenges and make our children strong, competent and dynamic citizens of this proud community and a great nation. More

Hello, my name is Nik Thakkar and I am running for a seat on the Halton District School Board. I am married to Shefali Thakkar and we have three wonderful kids who are attending Anne J. MacArthur and W. …I. Dick French Immersion program in Jr Kindergarten, Grade 4 and Grade 8. I know first-hand the challenges of balancing work, family and school commitments. Knowing that my children are in a safe, enriching and nurturing school environment is very important to me as a parent and I wish this for all our children. You can be assured that I will do my best to ensure that all our children experience a positive and caring school environment, regardless of their abilities or challenges. HDSB has projected a growth figure of 1,100 new students for the coming year in Milton (out of 1,900 for the entire Halton region). One of the fastest growing community in Canada, Milton grew by more than 56% to 84,362 residents between 2006 and 2011, according to new Statistics Canada figures, and has now surpassed 100,000 residents. As such, it is safe to say that Milton needs more attention from the regional board. Milton needs to have more schools with proper growth planning done beforehand – we must be proactive, not reactive. Portable classrooms have been used as a workaround at many of the schools in Milton. These not only provide an inadequate learning environment, but also occupy major playground space which is key to the skills development and education of children. I also strongly believe that the safety of our kids is of paramount importance. I have often seen that our children are not properly supervised while in school and specifically when they are commuting to and from school. The pickup and drop-off of kids are sometime done in a chaotic environment. I have seen high school kids smoking in front of school entrance doors. I myself feel helpless while driving by and not able to do anything about it. Hence I decided to run for the trustee position and be part of the system to bring about necessary change. I have served and advocated for the needs of our community by organizing and volunteering events for several charities and not-for-profit organizations over the past 10 years. I currently sit as President of a Milton based not-for-profit organization as well as Assistant Vice President of Project Management Institute PMI lakeshore chapter. The experience I have gained through these will serve the School board position I seek to fill well and will allow me to continue working and advocating for the education of all children in our community. I believe that a school board must be responsive and receptive to parents, staff, students and the community at large, encouraging an open dialog. The board must take input from all groups and weigh all the facts before making a decision; however, at same time a critical decision should not be unreasonably prolonged. A board member is a trustee of the community that elects him or her. That trustee must be accessible and willing to collaborate with all members of the community, including all HDSB staff. Anyone that comes before the board has the right to be heard & not just to speak. A school board member must build public understanding, support and participation. A key issue for school boards is to correctly create and execute a long-term vision, mapping a course that provides the necessary opportunities students need to reach their full potential in order to compete in a global village. The board is responsible for establishing and maintaining a structure that supports this vision, empowers the staff, and provides leadership. It is difficult to provide leadership and carry out a vision when a district lurches from crisis to crisis and does not have a clear plan for the coming years. An example of this kind of reactive management would be 20 new portables (temporary classroom) by the end of the 2014 school year at Anne J MacArthur Public school. With my passion for improvement, my personal experience in raising kids in Milton, my being a member of the parent council, and my knowledge of our town I can help to provide the necessary leadership to keep the district on an even keel. I strongly believe that we have highly committed teachers and staff working with our children. We must re-establish morale among all board employees and work to improve education throughout the district. Education takes place in the classroom and the board's efforts must focus on enhancing and enriching what goes on there. We need to have a plan in place that will attract the best and the brightest teachers to the HDSB. Every community in GTA is competing for the same pool of available teachers and the shortage of qualified teachers grows daily. I ask for your support because I believe Milton parents deserve better schools for their children and our kids need a better education. I believe this is a primary concern of every family in Milton. It is time for a change. More

The role of Halton District School Board Trustee is an important and exciting one, and it has been my honour to represent Oakville Wards 1&2 since 2006. They've been a tumultuous four years, and we will …be working with a new Director of Education, Mr. David Euale, starting this September, and with a significantly changed Board of Trustees starting in December. The only constant, it seems, is change. The School Board's budget for the 2010-2011 school year is approximately one half billion dollars, with about 120 million dollars of capital funding being invested in school renovations and new school construction. The Halton District School Board continues to be the fastest growing board in Ontario, and with Oakville poised for growth north of Dundas Street, we'll soon become the fastest growing municipality in Halton.Wards 1 & 2 Oakville has its pockets of growth, too, and school programs and accommodation are likely to be a preoccupation in this community for the next couple years. To keep your finger on the pulse of the West Oakville school community, visit the West Oakville Family of Schools blog at http://wofos.ca. More

Connection to her community has always come naturally to Donna Danielli. A Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal winner for community service and twice nominated for Business Person of the Year by the Chamber, …it was volunteering as a tutor on the Don Jail that set her on her path to educational advocacy. “Not having the literacy skills to fill out a job application impacts your future,” says Donna. “A well rounded, publicly funded education is the most important gift we can give anyone.” “Since 2006, we’ve built five elementary and one high school with another elementary school and a rebuild of Martin Street School coming next. Along with numerous expansions to programs, the walk to distances to schools have been reduced significantly.” Donna reflects that “the most important thing to remember when I’m at the Board table is that every single decision, whether it is a balanced budget, a new school or a curriculum policy, has to be based on how it will impact student potential for success, because that’s what really matters.” More

Born in the urban city of Lahore, and raised with his two siblings by their loving parents, Asad learned early on in his life the value of hard work, teamwork, and perseverance. He graduated at the top …of his high school class and led his Cricket Team to the finals of the state championship twice, all while working a part-time job at a local photo copy centre. Asad's academic prowess and leadership abilities earned him state sponsored scholarships from Grade 8, Crescent Model High School Lahore through Government College Lahore to the end of his academics in University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore where he graduated with Honors with a degree in Electrical Engineering (Electronics and Communications) in 1993. Since then he has pursued an excellent career in Telecommunications and Project Management both in the private and public sector in a number of countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America. During his stints on a number of challenging positions in his career, he still found time to take part in charitable efforts and volunteer for a variety of charitable causes. Today, Asad wants to serve as your voice on the Halton District School Board. A voice that echoes your concerns. A voice that matters. A voice that cares. More

Dedicated to children, youth, families and education as the “great equalizer”

I am passionately committed to a successfull education for every child. My involvement with the Halton District School Board (HDSB) spans 16 years as a resident in Ward 4 and parent of an elementary school …aged child and two university graduates. I have a keen interest in broadening the educational opportunities for students while supporting their teachers. I have worked for twenty years as a public health Epidemiologist with the last eight of these being in Halton. I have served on parent councils, and most recently as co-Chair. I will raise a strong parent voice and bring a knowledge-based community perspective to the role of trustee for the HDSB. More

As the fourth generation of his family to call Oakville home, Rajan Sandhu has a passion to serve the Town of Oakville and his community. With degrees in both business and law, Rajan has effectively represented …his clients by listening, engaging and understanding their needs. He has a diverse background from working with an international law firm, running his own entrepreneurial venture, and volunteering with non-profit organizations. Having lived, studied, and worked throughout the world, Rajan has gained an insight into the unique requirements of various cultural communities, while being exposed to several international education systems. Rajan believes this knowledge and experience will serve him well in strengthening the public school system in Halton. Rajan worked closely with youths in schools when volunteering to facilitate workshops to students on diversity and multiculturalism. He also worked as an interpreter to assist new immigrants to access necessary public services. Rajan firmly believes in hard work, commitment to community service, and unwavering integrity. He offers a fresh, new perspective to the Halton District School Board! More

Kelly has been an active part of the Oakville community for over 25 years. She is married and lives with her husband in Ward 5 with their 2 children and 2 dogs. Kelly has been actively involved in the …education system since her children entered school. She has been involved in running a co-op preschool, volunteering in the classroom at elementary school, participating in River Oaks PS Council and being Chair of the White Oaks Secondary School Council for 4 years, as well as being the Trustee for Oakville Wards 5 & 6 for over 10 years. Kelly was instrumental in helping establish the HDSB Parent Involvement Council (PIC) as Chair for it's first 2 years and then past Chair. Kelly has been involved as a parent representative in many different HDSB (Halton District School Board) committees, including Safe Schools, French Advisory Committee, Community Engagement and Healthy Schools. She also was a parent representative at Provincial sessions for Educational matters around the roles of the Trustee and Director. Kelly is currently Chair of the Halton District School Board, elected by her fellow Trustees, and has been a Trustee for over 10 years. During her time as Trustee, Kelly has also been Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Communication committee, Chair of the Director performance committee and active on all standing Board committees. Kelly holds regular Family of Schools meetings for all the schools in her area to facilitate regular and active discussion with and between all schools. She also believes it is important to communicate and actively shares information regularly to the community by email, through a Facebook page and by Twitter. More