News Release
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20-Oct-14
North Bay, Ontario - In the famous words of the late Rodney Dangerfield "I get no respect!" The
same can be said about public school trustees!
One week until election day, NNDSB school board trustee candidate David Thompson, wants
to re-iterate to all taxpayers the importance of trustees and actually going out to vote for their
respective school boards on Oct 27th
.
Just the NNDSB alone manages a $135 million annual budget with nearly 2500 employees, the
largest employer in the area, yet when it comes to importance of local elected officials school
trustees are the least acknowledged.
“Think about it, we have the power to shape neighbourhoods, build communities and set our
children on the right path," states Thompson.
“Yet, most school board trustees and candidates could only be picked out of a crowd by their
friends and family!”, added Thompson.
Since 1997, the provincial government, of all political stripes, has centralized education decision
making thus creating a perception that school trustees are irrelevant and are not needed in the
future.
“But this is the furthest from reality," states Thompson.
School board trustees will continue to be the grassroot politicians dealing with controversial local
education issues such as school accommodation and boundary disputes, transportation and the
disbursement of funds for special education and other programs.
“That’s where trustees still have a huge impact on local education, children and our community,”
states NNDSB Chair Thompson.
“I'm pretty involved in my community, I visit our schools, I attend many school events, I talk to
students, parents and staff and I so understand our needs...Queen’s Park doesn't!", commented
Thompson.
There is still a lot of responsibility and accountability for local public school trustees. That's why
it’s important for all taxpayers to vote for trustees who best represent them as local education
matters.