What do I bring to the table?

On October 25th, Orleans and Cumberland will vote for their public school board trustee and one of the two candidates, John Shea or myself, will become the trustee for the next four years. Regardless of who gets elected, I know both John and I will continue to serve the community in a variety of capacities. In our work towards the betterment of our community, our roads will cross, and hopefully, on some of the projects we will work together as a team. Until the 25th, each of us will continue to spread our messages and tell the voters why we believe to be the best candidate.

I plan to work with the community for the advancement of our schools. I intend to listen, and listen often. I make a pledge to visit 5 teachers and 5 parents every week, for the next four years. That is every week! I will not wait until they come to me, I will go out to them and ask about their concerns and seek their advice. I will bring their voice to the school board.

I believe in equal education opportunity for all of our children. I would not be in favour of special treatment to one school only when all 12 trustees are in charge of all of the 12 zones of Ottawa-Carleton, and all of the 150 OCDSB schools in these zones. I would not allow favoritism to risk the quality of another school. I am, and always have been for fair treatment of all.

I will work towards increasing literacy rates by introducing literacy programs and encouraging reading. I will organize (as a personal initiative) reading sessions with kindergarten and grade one students, and each kid will receive a book at every session.

Current board of trustees has been divided and was not able to work as a team. I will bring a uniting positive attitude. My personality is suitable for this. I not only believe that the trustees must work together, but also all four of the school boards must work together. My inclusive outgoing character, and my 30 years of experience in the society as an engineer, as a parent and as a community worker, will help me bring people together. Once we start working for the benefit of all our children and our common future, then we will be able to work together with the government as well.

Funding is insufficient and I propose to work with other school boards to make better use of the resources. Some programs can be rotated between schools (across school boards) and certainly transportation can be more effective if all school boards work together. I also intend to make a better case before the provincial government. All these require experience in the work force and in the society, interpersonal skills and guts. I have these. This is how I plan to do a better job than what has been done in the previous 4 years. I am asking the voters to judge me on these points:

1. I am passionate about public education.
2. I am for debate.
3. I am for accountability and transparency.
4. I am trustworthy, honest, open, direct.
5. I am a community builder, people's person, always the peacemaker, the uniting factor.
6. I am a team player, and I don't mean "team" as in “us against them.” I mean team as the board in its entirety, together with staff, together with other school boards, together with the community.
7. I am well-educated, well-read and have international, multicultural experience.
8. I am creative, future-minded and environmentally-conscious.
9. I have the personality, the experience, the inter-personal skills and the guts to discuss and negotiate with the provincial and federal governments who have the power and the funds.
10. I promote love of learning. I will bring reading back into the lives of our youth. I support English as a Second Language (ESL) and Multicultural Liaisons Officer (MLO) programs. I support special programs for special needs. I support nurturing every child to reach his/her full potential by providing the right assistance and the required tools. I would like to see more EAs for our schools. I promote genuine learning and student well-being.


http://eskicioglu.ca