HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-04-01, Page 1With the early March submission
of both a “Majority Report” and a
“Minority Report” from a
community-based Accommodation
Review Committee (ARC), trustees
of the Avon Maitland District School
Board may have thought the
decision-making process for the
potential consolidation of schools in
the Huron East/North Perth (HENP)
region was already complicated
enough. Supporters of Grey Central
Public School in Ethel, however,
want trustees to know that the
complications don’t end there.
At a regular board meeting
Tuesday, March 23, Grey Central
parent council past chair Alicia
Deitner joked that her own public
speaking shortcomings provide
ample proof for why the school
should remain involved in the
Brussels Legion annual public
speaking competition – then went on
to deliver a to-the-point argument
why Grey Central should remain
open.
“We have been told since
September . . . that the ARC process
is all about students and student
success,” Deitner told trustees
during the public delegation portion
of the meeting. “Our roadmap at
Grey is quite clear. We want our
students to attend a school where
opportunities to learn abound; where
the character attributes developed by
the board are put into practice. We
want our children to have more than
a roof over their heads to keep the
rain out and walls to keep the heat
in.”
An Avon Maitland report,
submitted to the ARC in late 2009,
states the “preferred option” of
administrative staff is to close the
over-capacity Brussels Public
School and the under-capacity Grey
Central. Students from Brussels
would relocate to the new North
Huron elementary school (the board
is currently awaiting final approvals
to begin construction on a site on the
eastern edge of Wingham) or the
soon-to-be-implemented Grades 7-8
wing of Wingham’s F.E. Madill
Secondary School, while Grey
Central students would be sent to
Elma Township Public School in
Atwood. Attendance boundaries
between Elma and schools in
Listowel would be adjusted to
ensure Grey Central’s closure
wouldn’t overwhelm Elma.
The ARC, created by the board to
facilitate public input into the
potential consolidation, includes
representatives from each school
and municipal council within the
review area. Following its sixth and
final meeting March 3, both a
Majority Report – submitted by
ARC members from Elma
Township, two Listowel-based
elementary schools, and Wallace
Public School in Gowanstown – and
a Minority Report on behalf of
Brussels and Grey Central were
delivered to the board.
The Majority Report recommends
the amalgamation of the two Huron
East schools, enabling students “to
stay within or close at hand to their
communities.” While
acknowledging the board may
eventually need to revisit North
Perth consolidation some time in the
future, the Majority Report argues
that’s not currently necessary.
The Minority Report, meanwhile,
offers two options: close Wallace
and keep the rest of the schools
open; or close five schools – with
Elma as the sole exception – and
build two new facilities, one in
North Perth and one in Huron East.
Speaking to reporters after her
March 23 delegation, Deitner
confirmed the HENP
accommodation review process has
re-opened old divisions from when
the former Huron and Perth public
school boards were forced by the
provincial Education Ministry to
join.
“So much for the board
amalgamating 11 years ago and
making us all feel like one,” said the
parent of a Grade 6 student at Grey
Central.
The point of Deitner’s
presentation, however, was to
highlight yet another division: her
school community’s position,
distinct from that outlined in the
Huron East Minority Report.
She agreed the school’s supporters
worked with their Brussels Public
counterparts to author
recommendations “that (would be)
mutually beneficial for both
schools,” given the circumstances.
However, she acknowledged the
board may choose to support the
amalgamation of the two Huron East
schools, and aimed to make a case
for making Grey Central the home
of that amalgamated school, instead
of Brussels.
Factors in favour of such a
decision include the comparatively
minor construction necessary at
Grey Central to accommodate an
expanded student body, the presence
already of some specialized teaching
spaces for an expanded
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 1, 2010
Volume 26 No. 13CAFÉ WINS BIG - Pg. 30 Brussels soup wins topprize at competition CHARITY - Pg. 30Group collects over 150teddy bears for HaitiSPORTS- Pg. 9PeeWee Girls take gold atWOAA tournamentPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 PAP Registration No. 09244 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Huron OPP arrested a 28-year old
man on Thursday, March 25 in
relation to a domestic incident on
that happened on March 24, after he
had eluded capture.
Police tracking units were called
into action Wednesday morning as
the individual fled police
questioning.
Police searched on foot for the
individual in the wooded area west
of Blyth on the north side of Blyth
Road (County Road 25) until
approximately 1 p.m.
Constable Joanna Van Mierlo,
Media Relations and community
services officer for the Huron
Detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police said that the
individual was not suspected to be a
danger to the general public, so his
name would not be released.
Canine Units and armed officers
entered the wooded area to search
for the man.
Van Mierlo explained that any
time the tracking dogs are sent in, it
is common practice to send in armed
units with them.
The individual eluded the on-foot
capture teams, and police pulled out
to try and track him in vehicles and
did successfully capture and
incarcerate him Thursday.
Search squad
Blyth residents were startled to see OPP officers and the OPP canine unit scouring a forested area west of Blyth on Wednesday,
March 24. Police were searching for a person of interest involved in a domestic dispute. The search was called off, and the
individual was caught on Thursday, March 25. Police have not released the name of the individual. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
OPP
search
piques
curiosity
Grey parents address AMDSB trustees
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 21