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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-11-05, Page 6THE EDITOR,Some time ago in thiscommunity of ours, a group ofwise people came together to discuss a very thoughtful notion – that the education of our children is more than schools, more than teachers and more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. It is also about enhancing our communities through the development of good citizenship skills. In short, we all know our communities will need good engineers, good accountants and good artists. But if our communities are to survive, they will also need good citizens. To that end, the Avon Maitland District School Board has endorsed a series of Cultivating Character attributes. They include traits such as fairness, honesty, empathy, respect, integrity, courage, optimism, compassion, perseverance and responsibility. These are powerful words, describing noble aspirations about how we as citizens should live our lives. What a shame that the Avon Maitland District School Board appears to have abandoned many of them as they undertake school accommodation reviews. Like many, I watched from the sidelines as the residents of Blyth, Belgrave and Wingham worked diligently and in good faith to devise a community- driven solution to school accommodation issues in North Huron. That outcome has given me some very grave concerns as we move forward with discussions in the Brussels and Grey community. While the facts of the matter are always important, I instead wish to focus on the feelings of the matter. I do not feel that the accommodation review process is in any way fair. The board of education and the Ministry of Education seem to hold all the cards – the community is not an equal partner. In fact, what kind of partnership is it when one side puts the other in a defensive position or arbitrarily changes the terms of reference? I feel there has been a lack of honesty and integrity displayed by the board and its staff in accommodation reviews – changing the objective midstream; failing to disclose all information upfront – these are serious mis-steps in any community engagement process. I feel no empathy from the board about our concerns as community members - as recently as last week, board staff told Huron East council that the viability of communities is clearly neither a goal nor an objective within the board of education mandate. As to respect, I feel that the board respects neither the accommodation review process nor the people involved. With all due respect, in my opinion, the trustees neither understand community engagement, nor has the staff capable of undertaking it successfully. Whether deliberate or inept,the North Huron exercise wasthe single worst community engagement process I have ever witnessed. Frankly, I get the feeling that our education officials view this accommodation review process as a necessary evil that they must endure. Finally I must comment on the attribute of responsibility. In fairness, I acknowledge that the trustees have some very difficult decisions to make. But that is after all why we elect them. Too often, I have heard the lament that so much is dictated by the Ministry of Education, or that the board is reluctant to go against staff recommendations. We as citizens of Huron and Perth Counties elect trustees to represent our educational interests. Instead, boards of education increasingly come across as somebody else’s lap dog. These are unkind and bitter words of reprimand - even hateful. And I am ashamed that I am capable of such anger. But like many in our community, I am frustrated. I have witnessed the chronic withering of my community over the years, including the loss of industry and commerce; the loss of social networks; the loss of public services and the loss of people. And as I stand by and watch the inevitable loss of another vital community asset – our schools – I feel powerless. You see, we are merely fleas on a dog. We depend upon the dog for our sustenance. We need him, but he does not need us. And we must go where he chooses. When we don’t like the direction the dog is heading we can bite and chew and make the dog’s life uncomfortable for a time. But in the end, the dog always has the upper hand. He merely scratches the itch and carries on. I apologize to the parents, volunteers and community leaders who are actively working with our board of education to address school accommodation issues in Huron East. You are good people to come to the defence of our schools. I would offer my assistance, but I am at wit’s end to know what I can do. I cannot assure the board that our population is going to grow; that our schools will not need repair or that the Ministry of Education is somehow going to alter its funding formula for rural schools. I cannot prove to them that they may have made a mathematical error in their analysis. And I cannot speak intelligently to the issue of whether or not closing the schools will lead to a better or poorer education experience for the student. All I can really say for sure is that the closure of these schools will be a loss to our community; it will offend public opinion and it will personally hurt me as an individual. But alas, these issues are not valued withinthe current rules of the game.They are of no consequence inthe policy debate. Unfortunately, public policy in rural Ontario has descended into an exercise that manages public services solely by the financial statement. We have drilled society down to a point where the only best solution isalways a mathematical one. As the old adage says, wehave become “penny-wise and pound-foolish”. Strange, isn’t it, that no where among the list of laudable character traits adopted by the board of education is there an attribute such as “fiscal responsibility” or “risk mitigation”.In this over-rationalizedworld, I wish to offer adesperate and irrational plea to the trustees and staff of the Avon Maitland District School Board. What our education system needs now is decision- makers with the courage, optimism, compassion and perseverance to change therules of the game and choosesolutions that are the rightones, not necessarily the best ones. Please. Be good citizens. That is the only hope I have left for saving schools in my community. Paul Nichol PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009.Letter to the editorWriter says board has abandoned attributes THE EDITOR, Anyone reading The Citizen in the last few weeks is aware of the Accommodation Review Committee and its potentially devastating outcome if both schools in Huron East are forced to close. What is frustrating and concerns me most is all the incorrect information out there. Last week in the paper there were comments made that said Grey Central was at 50 per cent capacity. A total of 195 students are currently enrolled at Grey which has a maximum capacity of 250 students. Also stated was that Grey students attend Listowel high school upon graduation. This year 63 per cent of Grey students will go to Listowel, 33 per cent will go to Wingham and four per cent to Clinton. This week in the paper there was another quote claiming, “in some schools like Grey there are triple grades in one room”. This is also not true. In the most recent data posted on the Avon Maitland District School Board website, the figures state that within the six schools under the ARC review there are 209 empty spaces, yet we were told at the first ARC information meeting that there were 400 empty spaces. These ARC meetings are open to the public. It’s important for the community to attend and hear for themselves what is being said. Let us strive to get accurate information. There are many meetings to come yet, and many versions of information will be re-told. Let’s try to keep the facts straight. It’s the responsibility of the community to take action to help save our schools. If attending meetings isn’t your thing, send letters, e- mails, or make phone calls to all levels of government, board trustees, newspapers, whereever you think your voice might be heard. We need your support! Monique Baan Parent Grey Central PS Letter Misinformation worries parent THE EDITOR, Many people have given up on saving our schools. That is too bad. The changes now in the works will leave rural communities in the same horrible situation as the First Nation communities. They too had their children snatched away by people wielding power without honest consultation with, or respect for, the families and communities that their action threatened. We know only too well where that led. Family and society building blocks were eroded. Children were not taught to respect their own elders and did not learn how a community works effectively. Trust and respect within communities were eroded. I urge our Minister of Education, MPP Carol Mitchell and the Avon Maitland District School Board staff and trustees to take time for sober second thought. The bottom line may govern business, but should not top the list for schools. Janis Vodden Reader draws analogy