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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-15, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2009.An accommodation review thatcould potentially leave one of HuronCounty’s largest municipalities with just one public school has Huron East councillors outraged. The review, which involves six schools, including Brussels and Grey Central Public Schools, has councillors scared of the possibilities after seeing a similar review in North Huron result in the closure of four public schools. Huron East, over the years, has been devastated by school closures. Clerk-administrator Jack McLachlan said that in addition to losing its secondary school several years ago, the municipality has lost public schools in Walton and Vanastra as well. Mayor Joe Seili, who attended the preliminary Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) meeting, said that he asked “lots of questions and got few answers.” Seili said his impression of the initial meeting is that Brussels students would be taken into the new school which will be built in North Huron in the near future and that students from Grey Central Public School will be dispersed among other schools in the north end or put into a new, larger school to be built in Listowel. However, he said, it wasall speculation at this point.The first meeting for the HuronEast-North Perth ARC is on Oct. 22.Council will have to appoint onerepresentative to represent both Grey Central and Brussels Public School’s interests. Over the last few years Seili says that Huron East has shown significant growth. He called his municipality one of Huron County’s highest performers and says it has grown more than any other municipality that isn’t on the lakeshore. “This doesn’t stack up because we’ve been a leader,” he said. “We can’t move forward if we keep having our schools taken away. We’re not going to lose another school.” Economic development in Brussels has proven to be a difficult task. However, Seili said, there has been progress, which he feels will be negated with the closure of Huron East’s two northern schools. “This is going to kill economic development in the north,” he said. Those are the two things people ask about when they’re thinking about moving into a community, education and healthcare.” Councillor Alvin McLellan, who represents the Grey ward, says council needs to do all it can to help itself throughout the process,because two school closures couldpotentially devastate the north endof Huron East.McLellan says he thinks theschool board needs to do some more research before making its decision, saying that better alternatives to closures could be found if the time is taken to assess the community and if other options are considered. “The board seems to act without thinking,” he said. “In North Huron they just seemed to get people riled up, but if they do more research and get some up to date numbers, they would have a better idea of what is going on with the schools.” Unfortunately, however, Seili feels the municipality may not have a voice in the discussions, despite the process. Seili feels the decision has already been made and that the only way for Grey Central and Brussels Public Schools to survive is to have a trustee election after the decision has been finalized and to have the recommendation overturned. Councillor Joe Steffler of Seaforth, which lost its secondary school four years ago, said that the communities will have to take a united stand throughout the process. Steffler asked Seili if he felt the board’s decision in this accommodation review is pre- determined and he said he did. Steffler said pre-determination has been alleged in the North Huron accommodation review and he was worried the same could be said for the one facing Huron East. However, when it comes to the board of education, Seili said, heisn’t about to attempt to predict thefuture.“This is the board of education.We have been guessing with themfor years,” he said. “Whether you have children in the school system or not, 26 per cent of your tax bill goes to education, so then assessment goes down,” Seili said. “Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to these things. This is going to be tough.” McLellan said he hopes that some kind of compromise can be achieved where if closure is an option, perhaps Huron East could amalgamate its students into one of its schools as opposed to losing both. The fact that even in that scenario, however, Huron East, amunicipality with nearly 10,000residents would have only twopublic school, still doesn’t sit wellwith McLellan.He did say, however, that if a “super school” option was proposed, the municipality would owe it to its residents to at least consider it. He is attempting to remain optimistic though and hoping that Huron East can keep both of its northern schools. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. If we don’t have a school, it’s going to be difficult to keep people interested in living here,” he said. “There will be nothing here and you’re not going to attract young families with no school.” ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS NOMINATE SOMEONE TODAY! THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD Contact this newspaper or the Ontario Community Newspapers Association at www.ocna.org or 905.639.8720 Sponsoredby:Coordinated byd byy:byy If you know a young person, aged 6 to 17, who is involved in worthwhile community service; a special person who isiss contributing while living with a limitation; a youth who has performed an act of heroism; or a ‘good kid’ who shows aaaa commitment to making life better for others, doing more than is normally expected of someone their age – HELP USSUSSS RECOGNIZE THEIR CONTRIBUTION – NOMINATETHEM TODAY! Nominations will be accepted until November 30, 2009 Congratulations to Justin Chamney, who graduated from the University of Waterloo on Thursday, June 12, 2009 with an Honours B.A. in Mathematics/Chartered Accountancy and a Post- Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting.Justin is the son of Eldon and Elaine Chamney of Auburn. Also very proud is Justin’s sister Meagan Chamney and her daughter Jadyn. Justin is currently employed with Wilkinson and Company in Belleville, pursuing his goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant. Graduation HE councillors not happy with school boardBy Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen Calling the danger to the future of Brussels Public School “very alarming”, councillor Paul Gowing led a discussion on the latest accommodation review process at the Oct. 6 meeting of Morris- Turnberry council. Because none of the schools in the Huron East, North Perth Accommodation Review are situated in Morris-Turnberry, the municipality has not been invited to send a representative, even though many students from Morris ward attend the Brussels school. Gowing circulated a presentation made by Jenny Versteeg, North Perth trustee and chair of the Avon Maitland District School Board to North Perth council on Sept. 21. According to the document, Gowing said, the reason for including Brussels in an accommodation review that includes Elma Township Public School, Listowel Central Public School, Listowel Eastdate Public School and Wallace Public School, is its proximity to Grey Central School which is also included in the review. But Morris ward students have always been oriented in the other direction with students from the area going to F. E. Madill Secondary School for their high school education. Brussels has a higher enrollment than its rate capacity so it isn’t endangered by undercapacity but the board document says the school “needs significant money invested in it, if it is to continue as a viable facility for our students. We are not about to invest money into this school without a thorough review of other options for its future.” Gowing wasn’t buying that argument, “I’d like someone from the school board to show me where the deficiencies are. It’s been well kept,” he said. “I feel we should comment on this,” said mayor Dorothy Kelly, asking Nancy Michie administrator clerk-treasurer to draft a letter to the school board to state council’s position. Future of Brussels school worries M-T councillors By Keith Roulston The Citizen ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + GST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen