French public school board chair running for second term
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Charelle Evelyn
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Tweet ThisEMC News - A local French public school board trustee wants to be able to finish the job he began four years ago following October's municipal election.
"I started something that I can see the positive results and I want to finish up my job," said Georges Orfali, the incumbent trustee for Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario's (CEPEO) zone 6, Gloucester-Southgate, Cumberland and Osgoode.
The current chair of the board said he decided to run for a trustee position after retiring from a career spanning 36 years as a teacher and principal in Ottawa schools.
He said that it was while he was a principal at Des Sentiers and Jeanne Sauvé elementary schools, he developed a relationship with the parents that he would eventually represent on the school board.
"I had lots of people supporting me and encouraging me to run again," he said.
A resident of Beacon Hill North, Mr. Orfali and his wife have four children, the youngest of whom is still in high school at De La Salle.
Prior to running for the school board, Mr. Orfali said he attempted to give back to the community however he could and was involved with places such as Montfort Hospital as a volunteer given his experience with early childhood education.
"I try to give back to the community whatever they gave me," he said. "Whoever wants me as a volunteer, if I have the time I'll get involved."
Although he said he appreciates and respects the fact that people who make up the school board are of different professional backgrounds, he said he also thinks it's a good idea to have someone in the running with a background in education.
Currently running unopposed, Mr. Orfali won his seat by acclamation four years ago.
He said that after hearing he was in the running, his two opponents switched to other positions in 2006.
During his term as a trustee, Mr. Orfali said he is proud of the work that has already been accomplished.
"When I ran, we had a deficit of $28 million," he said. "Now we have a balanced budget and we have some surplus."
Mr. Orfali has also won the respect of his peers, who voted for him to be board chair for three terms.
"The faces around the table trust me," he said.
If re-elected, Mr. Orfali said he would like to build on the positive results that the board has received from a recent parent satisfaction survey and provincial testing.
He said that over the past four years, the test results have improved and that enrolment is increasing steadily.
"People are very satisfied with what we're doing at the board," Mr. Orfali said, adding that enrolment is projected to increase by at least 300 students for the next year.
"We started something that is working."
The school board elections take place during the Oct. 25 municipal election.
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