Turnout small to hear RC candidates

Turnout small to hear RC candidates


Turnout small to hear RC candidates
Kate Dubinski
The London Free Press
November 8, 2006

Lofty ideas and promises but not many concrete plans for the future marked two evenings of candidates' meetings for Catholic school board trustees this week.




About 20 people showed up to listen to the candidates for the London District Catholic school board speak on Nov. 7 at Catholic Central high school.

Candidates -- six newcomers and five incumbents -- spoke about how to encourage Catholic identity in area schools, growth areas of the city, budgets and parental involvement.

"There was a $1-million reduction in the local priorities grant from the province, and that means money for Catholicity," said incumbent John Ferris, a Ward 8, 9, 10 candidate.

At a candidates' debate on Nov. 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas secondary school, Ferris also said "the government has dedicated money in so many areas, but limited so many local areas . . . we need to be able to spend that money how we see fit."

The two meetings were organized by the district school council and included prepared questions that candidates saw before the debate as well as questions from the floor.

Questions about the current board of trustees' decision not to renew director of education Joe Rapai's contract when it expires next year were not allowed. Trustees elected on Nov. 13 will decide on a new director of education.

Current trustees, including Loren Demelo, Paul Whitehead, Ann Kavelaars, Patrick Smith and Ferris, defended their records on communicating with parents and planning school boundaries.

"As a trustee, I would use a fine-tooth comb to shake more money down to the school level," said John Dessa, who is running in Middlesex County.

Other issues included the western and eastern areas of the city, both of which are growing, as well as French immersion.

"The French immersion program has had poor planning from the get-go," said trustee hopeful Ann Tulett, running to represent Ward 1 and 14.

"It's a wanted program. The ratepayers are demanding this optional program and we have to have consultations so we can plan it," she said.

A new elementary school in Summerside in the southeast and a new high school in west London were also discussed.

John Jevnikar, Jeremy Wittet, Frank Colozza and Sandra Cruz also attended both meetings.