Browsing posts in the ‘School Board Trustees – Calgary Catholic School Board’ category

CalgaryPolitics.com Rides Again!

January 25, 2011 - By

Nation, the last post on this blog (before this one, of course) was a great piece by Jeremy Zhao entitled (ironically) “The Conversation Deficit That We Must Avoid”. I say ironically, because that post was published nearly 3 months ago.

The future for CalgaryPolitics.com is as yet unwritten – the contributors will be discussing in the coming weeks and months exactly what role this outlet should play in the periods between elections. Without a doubt, there are many things to discuss in a broad subject area like “politics in Calgary” – municipal issues abound, provincial politics continue to generate buzz in this Burg on the Bow, and a federal election featuring the party of Calgary South West MP and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hotly rumoured.  No matter what we choose to do, we will almost certainly use our powers for good.

You’ll notice a new decoration on the top left corner of the blog’s main page – you, and hundreds of readers just like you, saw fit to award this humble project with 3rd place in the 2010 Canadian Blog Awards, in the category of “Best Political Blog”.  There will be a post on this honour soon, but suffice it to [...]Read More

Categories: Calgary Issues, Events, School Board Trustees - Calgary Board of Education, School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board, Shameless Self Promotion

Audio: Interview with Wards 11 & 12 CSSD Candidate Michael Annuik

October 17, 2010 - By

Nation, I had a chance to sit down with incumbent trustee for Wards 11 & 12 Mike Annuik, of the Calgary Catholic school board, last night.  Mike’s a pretty good guy – for a St. Francis graduate. ;)   We had a great conversation, and he was kind enough to give me the chance to record it – which, you’ll find below.

(please click over to The Enlightened Savage for the interview)

Tags: Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

Text: Interview with Wards 11 & 12 CSSD Candidate Kim VanKosh

October 13, 2010 - By

Nation, find below the responses to an email interview with Ward 11 & 12 Calgary Catholic School Board candidate Kim VanKosh.

E.S.: What are, in your own words, the primary roles of a Catholic School Trustee?

KVK: A Catholic School Trustee is responsible to ensuring both government legislation and Church Law are both upheld within the school district. They must advocate for appropriate funding and ensure that the funding that is received is spent in a responsible manner and that maximum dollars end up at the classroom level. Finally, a school trustee must set goals, priorities and policies for the administration and to ensure that the administration is meeting those goals, priorities and policies.

E.S.: What challenges do the schools in your Wards face that are unique within the system?

KVK: The schools in the growing southeast could not accommodate the number of students. While the opening of Christ the King has significantly eased the burden, there were many parents and students that underwent uncertain and stressful times prior to the school opening. The uncertainty is continuing as some parents I have talked to in recent weeks are unclear on where the boundaries will be after the new school [...]Read More

Tags: Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

What Do These Schmucks Do? – School Board Trustee Edition

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October 13, 2010 - By

(Re-posted, with some edits, from October 2007)

With thanks to the Alberta School Boards Association, below is an overview of exactly what a “school board trustee” DOES – handy information, when deciding whom you should elect to the job.

All voters are asked at the polling station for which board they wish to elect a trustee – public or catholic. Make sure to get this question right – your taxes go to whichever board you choose, so make sure you have a say in who gets to spend them!

(ASBA text begins now)

What do school trustees do?

Alberta school boards help shape the future of local communities by governing the education of young people. The provincial government, through the minister of learning grants school boards the independent authority to make decisions regarding the direction and quality of local public education. Accountability to the public is entrenched through the election of local school board trustees every three years. The school board election is October 18, 2010.

School board responsibilities

It’s up to school boards to ensure all children in the community receive a quality education. Specific school board responsibilities include:

  • Communicating, informing and involving parents, staff, and the community-at-large [...]Read More

Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Board of Education, School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

Interview With Ward 11 and 12 Catholic School Board Trustee Kim VanKosh

October 12, 2010 - By

 This is a continuation of a series of interviews that I will post about local candidates that are running in the 2010 Calgary municipal election. I do not endorse any of the candidates necessarily, unless stated otherwise. The intent is to allow the candidates a forum in which they can share some of their views as I feel that the school trustee candidates often do not get the same amount of attention from the mainstream media as the alderman and mayoral candidates.


This interview is with Kim VanKosh, who will be running for election as the Catholic School  Board Trustee in Ward 11 & 12 this term.

Why are your running for the position of school board trustee?

I am passionate about Catholic Education and want to be involved in the decisions that shape our school systems. About 18 months ago, I attended one of the initial sessions for the Inspiring Education Initiative and that involvement reinforced my decision to run as a candidate for School Trustee.

I believe that the Board of Trustees needs more diversity and that the Board needs someone with a new perspective. I have children that are in elementary school and have a different [...]Read More

Tags: ι Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

Text: Interview with Wards 3, 5, & Airdrie CSSD Candidate Linda Wellman

October 9, 2010 - By

Nation, as the Lead Correspondent for the Catholic School Board Trustee races for the Canadian Blog Award-nominated CalgaryPolitics.com, I’ve tried to reach out to as many candidates as I could find contact information for (if you’re a candidate, and you haven’t received an email from me, email me at the address in my bio!).

The first candidate to get back to me with her responses was the incumbent Trustee for Wards 3, 5, & Airdrie, Linda Wellman.

Her responses appear below.

*****

 

 

E.S.: What are, in your own words, the primary roles of a Catholic School Trustee?

L.W.: The primary role of a Trustee is to;
• Govern with excellence and act on behalf of ratepayers to ensure that the School District fulfills its mandate in a manner that is reflective of our faith values
• set policy that guides Administration in achieving goals
• ensure the annual budget provides the resources to support the desired outcomes while ensuring fiscal responsibility and accountability
• to hold the Chief Superintendent accountable through regular monitoring that provides evidence of compliance to the Boards’ stated Ends Policies
• Engage [...]Read More

Tags: Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

How Many Calgary Municipal Election Candidates Will Get The Nomination Day Blues?

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September 6, 2010 - By

Anyone that is actively following the 2010 Calgary Municipal Election scene should be getting excited that the races for Alderman, Mayor and School Board Trustee are about to become official!  With nomination day fast approaching, the race is also on for some of the candidates to get their paperwork in order in advance of the September 20, 2010 deadline. 

The 2010 election is expected to include the most candidates that Calgary has ever seen and some of the races are becoming more and more crowded every day, which is a good thing for local democracy.  While I believe that everyone has a democratic right to run for office and respect those who put their names forward for this election, I wonder how many of these candidates will actually be on the ballots after nomination day.  I took a look at the City of Calgary website for more information on the nomination requirements, which I have summarized below:

Required Signatures

All candidates must be nominated by eligible electors. The required number of signatures are:

  • Mayor – 100 Signatures

 

  • Alderman – 100 Signatures

 

  • School Trustee – 25 Signatures

If running for Alderman, and/or Public or Separate School [...]Read More

Tags: Categories: Alderman - Ward 1, Alderman - Ward 10, Alderman - Ward 11, Alderman - Ward 12, Alderman - Ward 13, Alderman - Ward 14, Alderman - Ward 2, Alderman - Ward 3, Alderman - Ward 4, Alderman - Ward 5, Alderman - Ward 6, Alderman - Ward 7, Alderman - Ward 8, Alderman - Ward 9, Calendar, Mayor of Calgary, Political Theory, School Board Trustees - Calgary Board of Education, School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

Desperately Seeking School Board Trustees…

10
August 26, 2010 - By

Nation, I’ve written before about the crucial role that school board trustees play in our education system and, by extension, in our society.

In Calgary, we elect 7 men and women to sit on the public school board, and 7 to sit on the Catholic school board – the ballot you receive is determined by the system you indicate support for on your property tax form.

Now, these positions are not nearly as hotly-contested as the races for Alderman or Mayor…  they’re low profile, often thankless jobs, with few material perks and long, late hours making tough decisions with one financial hand tied behind your back.  For these reasons, you don’t often see a flood of candidates trying to get out of the gate early, hit up the Stampede BBQ circuit, fundraising, doorknocking, and recruiting a small army of volunteers to help get the word out.  We don’t see a lot of politically connected, experienced or savvy people running – we see parents.  Recent graduates.  Earnest people who have never sat down around a kitchen table and talked election strategy with 8 brilliant political minds (just throwing that example out there).  They don’t often advertise that they’re considering [...]Read More

Categories: Public Service Announcements, School Board Trustees - Calgary Board of Education, School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board

The 14 Races No One Talks About…

April 11, 2010 - By

Nation, before we get too far ahead of ourselves in the “Shark Week on Discovery Channel”-esque feeding frenzy that is the “will s/he or won’t s/he” Aldermanic and Mayoral race speculation (too late), we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least note that there are, in fact, 14 other races coming up in Calgary this October.

Those of you with children in the public or separate (Catholic) school system might argue, with merit, that these are far more important than who wins an aldermanic seat from a ward on the opposite end of town.

I speak, of course, of the election of school board trustees.  People elected by the supporters of each board to represent the best interests of the children in those systems and, by extension, society as a whole (as those children will be our doctors, lawyers and – heaven forbid! – our politicians in the future).

As we’ve seen elsewhere recently in this province, and even in our own city in the not-so-distant past, choosing wisely is of critical importance.  Rest assured that the Best Political Team in the Blogosphere ™ is on the job, and prepared to cover these races with all the tenacity [...]Read More

Categories: School Board Trustees - Calgary Board of Education, School Board Trustees - Calgary Catholic School Board