WEBSITE: www.andykyriakos.ca

EMAIL: andykyriakoscampaign@gmail.com

PHONE: 416-769-6312

————————————————————————-

1. Why are you the best candidate for trustee?
Our education system needs to recognize that our children have unique needs that require more than a “cookie-cutter” approach. I have first-hand experience as the father of a son in high school that we need to tailor our system to better meet our children’s needs. As a business executive who also has experience with the federal and provincial governments, I understand how to advocate effectively for the needs of our children, our schools and our community. Together we can build our schools to better suit the needs of children, while also furthering them as community hubs.

2. What changes would you like to see at the school board in the next four years?
There are a number of changes that I would like to see take over the next four years. We need to look at how we can address the systemic funding shortfall of our schools by lobbying the provincial government to increase per-student funding. We also need to look for creative outside-the-box alternative revenue streams through engagement with community groups and the City of Toronto. Our schools should serve as community hubs – not only educating our children during the day, but serving as meeting places in the evening for community groups and drawing our neighborhoods closer together. The maintenance backlog in our schools is becoming direr as we defer routine maintenance. The longer we ignore the maintenance of our school the more it will cost us in the future.

3. What is your position on the TDSB consolidating under-enrolled schools and selling off closed school properties?
We need to consider before closing schools whether there are alternative revenue streams that we can utilize to keep them open. Our local schools form that backbone of our community – we should do all we can to provide them the support they need to stay open. In the extreme cases where we cannot find new sources of funding, and cannot raise enrollment, we need to look for opportunities to keep the properties so that they can be used for educational purposes in the future if needed – the land should continue to serve the needs of the community.

4. Do you support the province’s decision to try to negotiate two-year, no wage increase contracts with the school board’s unionized employees when existing agreements expire?
We need to consider why this option is being considered by the province – the current funding formula is not delivering the support our children need. This is why we need to work with all of the stakeholders in our city – community groups, parents, and teachers, local business owners to help maximize the utilization of our schools and find alternative sources of funding. Our children deserve the best standard of education possible and we should work with all groups to achieve this goal.

5. Please provide personal details on your bio.
I am a dedicated father, business executive with 20 years experience in information technology, a former community worker in public housing, a one time teaching assistant Toronto District School Board and an assistant in two governments. With a strong commitment to community and public education, I have a unique and broad background that will allow me to serve as your trustee.