Education minister's eye on test scores
February 15, 2010
Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
Leona Dombrowsky has been the province's environment minister and agriculture minister, and last month took the helm in education. Dombrowsky, a mother of four grown children and an MPP since 1999, spoke with the Star last week, her first interview since taking office. An edited transcript follows.
Q: You began your career as a trustee?
A: I was elected in 1985 to the Hastings Prince Edward Roman Catholic separate school board. I won that election by one vote. Every election I had as a trustee after that I was acclaimed, but that first election was a nail-biter.
Q: What sparked your interest in politics?
A: In 1985, that was my family (shows a picture of three young boys), and since then we added (a daughter). That was my reason. I was approached by someone in my community who suggested this might be something I might like to pursue.
I'm sure you can appreciate that in the '80s, at least in my part of the world, it was not typical that a young mom would look for a representative role.
Which, I guess, made it only seem that much more right that a younger mother would look for a role on a school board, where there are issues that would impact children in our community and beyond, and where I would have some understanding and knowledge and have the opportunity to provide input into all of that.
Q: What are your goals as education minister?
A: The premier has made it clear that the priorities are the same: the only thing that's changed is he is even more eager to see student achievement improve, to close the gap and increase graduation rates and continue to build public perception around the education system ...
We are committed to very important goals, and we are going to move forward on those, like full-day learning for 4- and 5-year-olds.
Q: The teachers' unions are calling for a scaling back of provincial standardized tests, possibly by testing a sample of schools instead of all of them. What is your response?
A: I'm really focusing on improving test scores, so that means that we are going to test. I want to continue to work with (the unions) to have them understand why we are committed to our agenda around being accountable, being transparent.
I think the news has been very good, and teachers have played a very important role in enabling our students to be successful.
Q: In Toronto, a trustee recently came under fire for criticizing the board's decision to spend $345,000 on a one-day conference. What is your expectation for trustee behaviour?
A: Under Bill 177, we have provided boards with the opportunity to have codes of conduct, and it's really in the code of conduct where they would identify the type of behaviour that they expect. They are also able to identify if a trustee's actions were not in keeping with the code, and what the impacts of that would be.
I am not inclined to wade into local or community issues ... but what Bill 177 made very clear is that if the board makes a decision to do something, that trustees on the board are required to uphold that decision.
It's expected that a trustee would not go out on his or her own and mount a campaign and work in any way to obstruct the board.
Q: So criticism is okay?
A: You know, last time I checked it's a free country, we have freedom of speech and I think the important distinction I want to make is when the board makes a decision and a trustee actively campaigns against it.
Toronto Star