Anthony Danko is a candidate for Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee in the 2010 Oakville Municipal Elections.
Oakville.com: What are the platform issues that you are addressing?
Anthony Danko: As a Catholic School Trustee over the past four years, I’ve focused my efforts on 3 areas:
1) maintaining our integrity as a truly Catholic institution;
2) investing our resources directly into student achievement;
3) reintroducing the committee system to policy development and strategic planning
Oakville.com: What is your unique position in this election
Anthony Danko: Catholics ratepayers in Oakville should vote for Anthony Danko on Oct 25th because he will be their advocate at the Board table. Anthony has introduced and passed board motions that have made a real difference. He will continue to raise the debates that need to be raised and ask the questions that need to be answered. Crucial decisions will be made over the next four year term that will have a terrific impact on the nature and character of schools in Catholic Halton. They need representation at Board meetings and to be kept informed about how outcomes will affect their child’s education. Now, as much as ever, is a critical time for Catholic education. Anthony Danko stands for Stewardship, Accountability and Catholicity.
Oakville.com: What do voters need to know that will compel them to vote for YOU?
Anthony Danko: Just a few months after I was first elected in November of 2006, a group of parents showed me the decrepit state of St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) Secondary School: water was leaking through the office roof and a student who used a wheelchair could barely navigate the elevator to get to 2nd floor classrooms. The overall state of the ageing building was well documented in a film created by parents and students and it made a strong case for action. EQAO scores were also suffering. With all the evidence we have in education literature that good learning environments lead to greater student success, why did we allow this situation to go on for so long? Why wasn’t anyone doing something about it?
The state of affairs at STA in 2006 was unacceptable to me. I personally met with our local MPP, Kevin Flynn and consulted with parents and administrators. I then introduced a board motion prioritizing the total reconstruction of the school, which passed unanimously.
This resulted in the province making a special grant of $14 million dollars in funding towards the construction of a new building. This funding simply would not have been offered to us if the board had not first passed that resolution.
Today, in 2010, construction is nearly complete and in the spring of 2011, STA students will begin classes in a brand new building, 21 years after it was acquired from the public school board. In the 2006 municipal elections, the major issue facing the board was whether or not to construct a new headquarters building for itself. During the election I was against the Board building a new headquarters. I am pleased that my time as a trustee allowed me to send funds directly into our students and their achievement, such as rebuilding St Thomas Aquinas school.
The 2010 Oakville Municipal election will be held on October 25, 2010. Visit our special Oakville election 2010 section for the latest election news, candidate profiles and more.
Tags: Anthony Danko, Catholic School Board
About the author: Richard Douglas
Richard contributes articles, photos and video about news and events happening in the Town of Oakville, Ontario.
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