HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-02, Page 22The red tape surrounding therelease of Prohibitive to Repair(PTR) money from Ontario’sMinistry of Education is substantial,according to an education
superintendent for the Avon
Maitland District School Board.
But Mike Ash is confident that
Sept. 1, 2009 remains a realistic
timeline for the opening of PTR-
funded additions to Goderich
District Collegiate Institute (GDCI)
and nearby Robertson Memorial
Public School.
At a regular meeting Tuesday,
Sept. 23, Ash provided an update on
the transition from housing
Goderich’s kindergarten-to-Grade 8
students on two sites – Robertson
Memorial as well as Victoria Public
School, which was declared PTR on
April 1 of this year – to
accommodating all students in K-6
and 7-12 facilities on the
Robertson/GDCI property.
“The superintendent of business
and members of the facilities
department are currently developing
plans for the additions,” stated a
report delivered by Ash. “A progress
report on these plans will be
presented to the board in October.”
Trustees cautioned, however,
about putting together intricate plans
before hearing from the public. An
introductory public meeting will be
held Thursday, Oct. 9 at Robertson,at which time Ash says the boardplans to outline the membership andresponsibilities of a so-called“transition committee.” Questionsfrom the public will be accepted atthat meeting.According to the Sept. 23 report,
Ash and the three Goderich
principals “are currently developing
a template for the establishment” of
the transition committee, “whose
mandate will be to provide input on
the process of transitioning students
. . . The template will also
incorporate two interim reporting
dates to ensure members of the
board are advised of the progress of
the transition.”
After hearing Ash’s update, South
Huron trustee Randy Wagler said,
“I’m just concerned that, if we set
something in front of people at the
meeting, they’re going to say, ‘here
we go again. The board has already
made up its mind about how things
are going to happen and they want to
make it look like the public is having
some input.’I just think there should
be some room for some dialogue
about certain components.”
Ash responded by saying, “the
bottom line for us is to make sure
that the process is inclusive and
inviting for community members.”
But board chair Meg Westley
pressed forward with concerns. She
conceded Ash had good reason to
cite the public consultation process
four years ago about putting the Cityof Stratford’s Grades 7-8 studentsinto secondary school settings –which he did in his presentation totrustees. But she said his criticisms of thatprocess – particularly, thatconsiderable time was consumed
when a series of community-based
subcommittees examined issues
which were later re-examined by the
broadly-based transition committee
– were taken solely from the
perspective of board staff.
“What seems like good use of
time from the point of view of staff
might not be the same as good use of
time from the point of view of the
public,” said Westley, who also
serves as a Stratford trustee.
Saying she’s concerned about a
public perception that people are
being shut out of the process, she
concluded, “I’m very worried about
this.”
Ash noted that moving forward
with planning is important due to the
bureaucratic requirements of the
PTR funding process. Designs must
be submitted to the Education
Ministry prior to putting the project
out to tender, and the construction
contract must again go to the
Ministry for approval.
“The approval processes within
the Ministry, unfortunately, do not
happen as quickly as we might like,”
he said.
He suggested administration’s
goal is to streamline the transitionand public consultation processes“so people’s efforts are effective andworthwhile and we’re not working atcrossed purposes to each other.”But Goderich trustee Al Sygrovestated that a “template” – althoughnecessary to delineate roles and
responsibilities – doesn’t necessarily
get to the heart of the transition. “It’s
got nothing to do with bricks and
mortar. It’s all about studentsmoving into a new school andfeeling safe and comfortable andwelcomed . . . That same feeling hasto be there for the parents.”Education director Chuck Reidmoved to ease trustee concerns,saying, “our commitment to you is
that, if we need to make some
adjustments during the course of this
journey, then we will do that.”
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008.Ash confident of timeline for PTR funding
During last year’s public
deliberations about school closures
in Goderich and Mitchell,
administrators of the Avon Maitland
District School Board were – in the
words of education superintendent
Ted Doherty, who oversaw the 2007-
08 public consultation – “basically
following the letter of the law in
terms of the Ministry’s
accommodation review guidelines.”
This year, the board’s
interpretation of that law will
change.
Members of the community-based
groups that gathered input –
officially called Accommodation
Review Committees (ARCs) – were
asked to provide feedback about
those consultations last June.
On Sept. 9, that feedback was
discussed by trustees and senior
staff. Then a report from that
discussion was provided as
information at the board’s regular
meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23.
According to the report, the board
“decided to make some changes to
the process (for this year’s
accommodation reviews in Exeter
and Wingham), while retaining most
of the features of the process used in
2007-08.”
In an interview after the meeting,
Doherty said, “one of the really
cumbersome items was the school
evaluation.” He suggested
community members resented being
asked first to fill out intricate
Education Ministry-generated
“school evaluation” templates
outlining the services and resources
in the existing schools, before ever
looking at future educational
configurations in their towns.
“So (ARC members) asked (the
AMDSB changes review process
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By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 25