. TDSB Trustee Howard Goodman, Eglinton-Lawrence .
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My Commitments as Your Trustee
| What happens in our Public schools matters. Our Public schools do much more than help guide children to become knowledgeable, caring, skilled, creative adults. Our Public schools also build the foundation of a civil, prosperous, and democratic society. Similarly, my job as Trustee on the Toronto District School Board has two distinct parts: the individual and the societal. Both are grounded in the primary duty imposed on Trustees by the Education Act - "To promote student achievement and well-being". On the "individual" side I commit to do my best to guide individual families or school communities to maximize the education outcomes for their children. On the "societal" side I commit to do my best to maximize the value that our Public schools deliver to society as a whole. And I commit to provide you with the most accurate information as well as the best advice that I have, without spin or regard to political consequences, and to listen to your thoughts with the same degree of openness. |
I welcome all the comments, questions, challenges, and insights that you can provide me in achieving these goals.
Howard.Goodman@TDSB.on.ca @HowardGoodman
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Latest Trustee UpdateApril 17 - Conflict of Interest Petition, Time to Act on Reg274, TDSB gets A+ on KindnessThis update contains three items: Eglinton-Lawrence voters launch an "anti-Conflict-of-Interest" petition The gist of their letter is to ask the Minister to quickly clarify the meaning of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (MCIA) in order that I may properly represent the interests of the communities affected during the decisions that are in the process of being made to implement Full Day Kindergarten in 5 Eglinton-Lawrence schools for Sept 2014. I join them in their request to Minister Jeffrey. As the Chairs note in their letter, the lack of clarity in MCIA places every City Councillor and Trustee at risk if they live in the community that they serve, and fully represent their constituents' interests. Trustee Judith Bishop of the Hamilton Board is in the process of defending herself against MCIA charges because she owns her home in an area that underwent an accommodation review, and she served her constituents by participating in that review. The hearing on this case was set for April 30, giving me some hope that the arguments and the judge's comments might have provided me with an early indication of the meaning of the MCIA. Unfortunately, the hearing has been postponed until June 20. This is a disappointment to me and to others, but it is an indication of the complexity, seriousness, and cost of defending against an MCIA charge. Minister Jeffrey has not yet replied to my letter of February 27 requesting clarification of the MCIA. I hope that she will respond promptly to this call from those directly affected by my inability to fulfill my duty of representation on FDK8 without placing myself at legal risk. This week, they have launched a petition to gauge the interest of Eglinton-Lawrence voters to have Minister Jeffrey act on the request in their email quickly, before the FDK8 decision is made. They have put a target of 1500 signatures. |
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[The email to Minister Jeffrey is included with the petition; I won't bother including it here as well.]
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