ROBERT KOLOSOWSKI - YRDSB TRUSTEE
WHY I'M RUNNING
Dear friends and neighbours,
A lot is at stake in the upcoming School Board Trustee Election. In recent years, our School Board’s academic performance has declined, while school violence and taxes have increased dramatically. At the same time the School Board has become very focused on slogans, politics and other distractions.
In this election, we have a clear choice to make. We can continue down this path or we can elect a School Board Trustee who will take the job seriously and propose a real plan for how to improve our education system. I am proud to be the only candidate who has put forward a detailed set of policies that I am campaigning on.
As your Trustee, I will improve academic performance by hiring teachers based on merit, not just seniority and by keeping politics and division out of our schools. I will work to keep our schools safe from guns and drugs by reversing the recent ban on police doing community outreach in our schools. I will respect your tax dollars by implementing financial accountability policies and reinvesting savings into special needs supports, lowering class sizes and building an Oak Ridges High School.
As a lifelong resident of Richmond Hill, I have seen the consequences of our School Board’s decline firsthand as a volunteer in our schools and in my career in employee education, where I help employees apply their academic knowledge to their careers. My experience in management will also provide a “real world perspective” to the Board and help spend the $1.6 billion budget efficiently.
Thank you to everyone who supported my vision in the 2022 Trustee Election. We received 4,570 votes and came just 5% short of victory. The 2024 Trustee Election is being held to fill the vacancy created by Crystal Yu’s sudden resignation from the Board.
We all have a duty to do what is best for our country and the next generation of Canadians. With your support, we can win the 2024 Election and get our school board back on track. From July 13th to 15th of 2024, please join your neighbours in voting in this important election.
Sincerely,
Robert Kolosowski
Candidate for Public School Trustee
YRDSB, Richmond Hill, Wards 1, 2 & 4
(289) 269-4908
A REAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION
Merit-based education
✔ Merit-based hiring of teachers (qualifications, experience etc.), not just seniority ³
✔ Merit-based admission for specialized programs, not random lotteries ²
✔ Expand access to specialized programs (IB, AP, SHSM, French, sports and arts)
Improved teaching
✔ Introduce lessons on personal finance, critical thinking and other life skills
✔ Promote in-person learning and restrict social media use in the classroom
✔ Eliminate bureaucratic red tape that gets in the way of teachers doing their work
✔ Build the Oak Ridges High School (Yonge St. and Regatta Ave.)
Safe schools
✔ Allow educational presentations from the York Regional Police and end the police ban⁴
✔ Discipline violent bullies and end the ban on students using self-defense
✔ Zero tolerance for sexualization of children and sexual abuse with no exceptions
✔ Create a direct line of communication with the City for analyzing traffic patterns
Healthy children
✔ Teach students lessons about mental health strategies
✔ Install air-conditioning, air-filtration units and ovens/microwaves in all schools
✔ Respect parental rights and oppose lowering the age of consent in the Education Act
Uniting as Canadians
✔ Preserve O'Canada and the Canadian flag in our schools ⁵
✔ Welcome diverse perspectives and keep all political agendas out of the classroom
✔ Zero tolerance for discrimination and racism against any background
Respect for Taxpayers
✔ Axe the tax-hike requests and conduct line-by-line audits of all finances ¹
✔ Strengthen conflict of interest rules and select contracts through competitive bids
✔ End the sole-source monopoly on the procurement of school supplies for teachers
✔ Reinvest savings into special needs support and lowering class sizes
ABOUT ROBERT
COMMITTED TO RICHMOND HILL
-
Lifelong volunteer in the York Region District School Board
-
Richmond Hill resident for 15+ years and passionate about contributing to our society
-
Regularly meets with our local Trustees and MPPs to discuss progress on improving the YRDSB
-
Led hundreds of parents in organizing townhalls and petitions to the school board
-
Founder of the Richmond Hill Anglers' Association and involved with other community groups
EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING ORGANIZATIONS
- Currently employed as a senior project manager at a software engineering firm
- Manages the training of employees and works to convert academic knowledge into real-world skills and careers
- Oversaw large organizations and budgets as a board director, executive and financial agent of various non-profits
- Previously worked in Ontario's public sector, working with education stakeholders on a daily basis
- Bachelor of Commerce degree in economics and business management
Organizing parents' meetings.
Volunteer in YRDSB and YCDSB schools.
Robert has a passion for preserving Richmond Hill's natural beauty.
Meeting with MPP Daisy Wai to discuss ways to improve education.
Meeting with MPP Michael Parsa.
Meeting with TDSB Trustees to discuss best practices.
Richmond Hill Ribfest with Mayor West and MPP Parsa.
Collecting petition signatures to encourage the YRDSB to implement better policies and budgetary practices.
Longtime resident of Richmond Hill.
Attending the 2022 YRDSB Trustee debate.
2022 Election vs. 2024 Election
ENDORSEMENTS
Costas Menegakis, former Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill
Shelley Wister-Smith, former Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) Branch President in District 16
Carol Chan, former Trustee and Autism IBI Specialist
Dr. Weidong Pei, Trustee and dentist
Mike Ramsay, Trustee and Canadian Armed Forces Veteran
Jackie Cousins, former YRDSB School Council Chair, member of the YRP Integrated Strategic Community Advisory Council and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medals
Jonathan Nadler, Engineering Professor and former candidate for Trustee who competed against Robert in 2022
Aviva Polonsky, President of the Federation of Teachers for the HST and educator
Dr. Reza Sadjadi, former Professor of Engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University
Vincent Ho, candidate for Member of Parliament in Richmond Hill and local Lawyer
Carol Nerling, former YRDSB Secondary School Principal and Educator
TRUSTEE CANDIDATES DEBATE
Robert speaks at 11:00.
During the virtual Trustee candidates debate/interview, the candidates were asked to explain their policies and to take a position on the issues of crime in schools, cell phone use in the classroom and teaching students about environmental issues.
VOTING
On March 31st, 2024 our YRDSB school board Trustee for Richmond Hill Wards 1, 2 and 4, Crystal Yu suddenly resigned from her role.
A by-election will be taking place to fill this vacancy. Voting will take place from July 13-15, 2024 and will be held in-person. No matter who you plan to support, please exercise your democratic right and vote in the upcoming election.