My Priorities as a Public School Trustee

Trustees, teachers, parents and members of the communities all have critical roles to play in helping young people to achieve their best.

As a trustee of the public school board my priorities will be:


- Quality of education;


- Well-being of students, teachers and staff;


- Reinforcing human resources;


- Strength and continuation of English as a Second Language (ESL) and Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) programs;


- Equity and academic excellence opportunity for all;


- Stability of our school system;


- Increasing the bilingualism rate amongst graduates of Ottawa public schools;


- Making better use of technological advancements;


- Expanding use of school buildings for both students and members of the community;


- Moving towards eco-friendly solutions that are more economical;


- Accurate representation and following through the concerns of Orléans and Cumberland, establishing better communication between Zone 8 and the school board;


and


- Working with all of the other trustees as a team with the goal of higher quality in public education.



I am committed to supporting our students in achieving their academic best by providing them the necessary support for their learning, and aiding them to establish their self-esteem and social responsibility. I am also committed to strengthening human resources and to providing our teachers and staff with the healthy and safe working environment they deserve.


I would like to do my part in making school councils more effective and improving the communication between parents, community members and trustees. I believe in engaging the community. I will strive to be the best possible representative of my constituency and in improving communication channels between all involved parties. I know I will be an asset to the school board in establishing positive working relationships with students, parents, teachers, staff and the board of trustees.


In these tough economic times, it is essential that we maintain the stability and quality of our education system. I believe it's time for innovative approaches to preserve and improve the existing programs and to expand on those that are most needed. English as a Second Language (ESL) and Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) programs, and special education are vital not only in maintaining the opportunity equity amongst the students but also in maintaining the health and well-being of teachers. I would like to see more assistance and support for teachers. This way we can prevent the risk of losing valuable staff to burn-out, stress and other health problems. The well-being of our teachers and staff is the well-being of our students, and our students are the future of Canada.


Adapting to the changing times, I would like our schools to be equipped with the new technologies and our students benefiting from the advancements in computer and communication sciences.


From air quality to playgrounds, everything regarding our facilities are my top priority. Our buildings need to be well maintained and better fitted for environmental wear and tear. I would encourage ecological sustainability and long-term money saving projects such as upgrading to better efficiency heaters and insulation.


These are some of the issues I would like to focus on. I wish to hear your comments, concerns and opinions. Please do not hesitate to write to me (Elect-Lale@Eskicioglu.ca) with your views and questions.

Mes priorités en tant que conseiller des écoles publiques

Les conseillers et les conseillères ainsi que les parents et les membres de la communauté ont tous des rôles critiques à jouer pour aider les jeunes à atteindre tout leur potentiel.

Quand je serai élue au Conseil de l’Ecole Publique d’Ottawa, mes priorités seront:

Qualité de l’éducation;

Bien-être des étudiants, des enseignants et du personnel scolaire;

Egalité et opportunité d’excellence académique pour tout le monde.

Stabilité de notre système scolaire;

Représentation fidèle et poursuite des préoccupations concernant l’école publique à Orléans et au Cumberland, établissement d’une meilleure communication entre la Zone 8 et le conseil de l’école;

Vigueur et maintien des programmes d’Anglais Langue Seconde et d’Agents de Liaison Multiculturelle;

Amélioration du taux de bilinguisme parmi les étudiants sortant des écoles publiques d’Ottawa;

Utilisation adéquate des progrès technologiques;

Progression vers les solutions plus écologiques et économiques.

Collaboration avec tous les autres conseillers et conseillères en équipe afin d’atteindre un meilleur niveau en éducation publique.

Created my website

When you are running for office, first thing you must do is to create your election campaign website. I worked on mine for a long time because:

1. I coded it myself, in HTML, the old-fashioned way.
2. I wanted to get most of the content in before launching it (as opposed to announcing it first and then having many "under construction" pages.)

I know I will be updating it everyday until October the 25th, but right now it is ready to go out in public. Please check it out: http://eskicioglu.ca

Your comments and ideas are very welcome. I hope you will like the endorsements page. If you wish to add your name to my list of supporters, just let me know, I would be very honoured and delighted.

Lale Eskicioglu
ps: Next step in an election campaign is to buy a comfortable pair of walking shoes. Shopping is scheduled for this weekend.