The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2008-11-20, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008. PAGE 13. Repercussions from Ontario’songoing financial worries trickled down to the province’s school boards in late October – much as, in past years, news of budget surpluses repeatedly translated into unplanned, late-in-the-year additions to education expenditure allocations. In an Oct. 23 memorandum from Assistant Deputy Minister of Education Nancy Naylor, school board administrators were informed that “funding for school renewal activity through components of the School Renewal Allocation, including the School Renewal formula amount, Regular, Rural and Supported Schools Top-up, and the School Renewal Enhancement Amount, will be limited to 80 per cent of the funding levels originally projected for 2008-09.” At a regular meeting of the Avon Maitland District School Board on Tuesday, Nov. 11, business superintendent Janet Baird-Jackson made public the memorandum – in which the board’s 2008-09 school renewal funding is clawed back from over $3.1 million to $2.5 million. “That amounts to a 20 per cent reduction in the funding we had expected for school renewal this year,” Baird-Jackson told trustees. Ever since 2005, around this time of year, announcements from the Education Ministry have committed additional funding to specific areas of expenditure, thanks to unanticipated surpluses in the provincial budget. But this year, in the wake of an Oct. 22 Fall Economic Statement that predicted an approximate $500 million deficit– the province’s first since 2004-05 –the opposite has taken place.According to Baird-Jackson, eventhe original projected 2008-09 school renewal funding was inadequate to complete every necessary renovation or upgrade identified in Avon Maitland analysis. Already, some upgrades had been pushed to 2010 or 2011, and “all (the Oct. 22 memorandum) does is exacerbate the deferred renewal situation,” she told reporters after the meeting. The business superintendent said administrators are still working through the repercussions of the claw-back, and couldn’t pinpoint exactly which of the board’s planned 2008-09 renovations will be eliminated. But she hinted that some work at Robertson Memorial Public School in Goderich – planned under the School Renewal envelope in addition to the work already being done under the facility’s Prohibitive To Repair-funded expansion – may be removed from the expenditure budget. The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, which was originally pledged $693,081 in 2008-09 School Renewal funding, saw its grant clawed back to $554,465. Baird-Jackson admitted she wasn’t surprised by the Education Ministry’s announcement. And she also knew, with the province already stating it will support three per cent salary increases for teaching staff –an expenditure which represents anaverage of 81 per cent of schoolboard budgets – for any board thatreaches new four-year collective agreements by the end of November, that any cutbacks would have to come from non-staff areas. “We could anticipate, given the economic situation, that everyone was going to take a hit,” the Avon Maitland superintendent commented. Can’t decide what to give for Christmas? FOR A BOOK A gift certificate lets the recipient choose the book they want. We have shelves of books to choose from. Everything from books on trains to gardening to cookbooks. The Citizen 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 404 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 SHEAR TALENT HHaaiirr DDeessiiggnn && TTaannnniinngg ffoorr mmeenn && wwoommeenn 45 West Street GGOODDEERRIICCHH 551199--552244--66555555 Walk-Ins Welcome Province’s financial woestrickle down to school board Where there’s smoke Blyth firefighters responded to a call of a blaze at the south end of Londesborough shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Upon arrival smoke was billowing from near the chimney. With one team working inside the house and another working outside, the fire was contained within 30 minutes. (Shawn Loughlin photo) By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen After two rounds – spread out over four years – of handing out money based on the ability of school boards to prove it makes better financial sense to replace aging facilities rather than maintain them, Ontario’s Education Ministry is changing the name of its Prohibitive to Repair program and expanding the criteria under which projects can qualify. “The Ministry learned from (the PTR) application process, as they shared with boards that they did not expect the volume of applications received,” explains a report from administrators of the Avon Maitland District School Board, delivered to trustees at a regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 11. “Based on the experience, the scope has been expanded to encompass more opportunities to identify capital needs and the process further refined to capture a longer-range view, and ensure a timely review process.” Business superintendent Janet Baird-Jackson informed trustees that, in keeping with an Oct. 31 Education Ministry deadline, the Avon Maitland board submitted three projects for review under the revised program. The first is a request for $7.2 million to assist in the consolidation of elementary facilities in North Huron; the second is $1.25 million to renovate a portion of Milverton Public School; and the third is $13 million for a major upgrade at the high-capacity, multi/split-level Stratford Central Secondary School. Questioned by Central Huron/Huron East trustee Shelley Kaastra, Baird-Jackson noted that – even though the board has submitted applications for funding of these projects – it doesn’t mean they will definitely be completed if funding under the revised program is not approved. According to the Nov. 11 report, criteria for the revised funding program – being referred to as Priority Capital Projects – fall into three categories: areas of “significant new residential development”, the pre-existing “prohibitive to repair”, and a broad category referred to only as “other.” Baird-Jackson says she hopes the Avon Maitland applications fall into the “other” category. She also noted that the values attached to the applications “are based on estimates, and we’re very early in the process.” And, as for the timeline for hearing back from the government about the applications, she said there has been no indication yet from the Education Ministry. Give us a call 519-887-9061 Fax 519-887-8734 Cell Phone 519-357-6547 R.R. 2 Bluevale John CONSTRUCTION LTD. • Licensed Septic Installations • Screened & Field Topsoil • Bark Mulch • Sand • Gravel • Fill • Backhoeing • Bulldozing • Excavating• Loading & Hauling Prohibitive to Repair program gets name change, new criteria By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Child Care Spaces Huron County Home Child Care has spaces available in Wingham, Blyth-Belgrave, Goderich, Clinton, and Vanastra-Brucefi eld, Fee Subsidy is available Spaces are for children 0-12 years with fl exible hours/days available. Huron County Home Child Care provides small group sizes, healthy meals and snacks and daily indoor and outdoor learning activities. All of our homes are approved under the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and meet standards as written in the Day Nursery’s Act. For more information or to register call (519) 482-8505 ext. 204 Classified advertisements published in The Citizen are now available on our website at www.northhuron.on.ca