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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-18, Page 6The second of four publicAccommodation ReviewCommittee meetings about five schools in the Central East North Huron cluster was held at Blyth Public School on Thursday evening, Dec. 11. These schools are situated on a Hwy 4 corridor of the Avon Maitland District School Board. Superintendent of AMDSB, Mike Ash, chaired the meeting. Other representatives of the board present that evening were Phil McCotter and Janet Baird- Jackson. Municipal trustees, Shelley Kaastra and Colleen Schenk, fielded comments as well. The community delegation selected to represent each school offered suggestions to address to declining enrollments and aging infrastructures. The Wingham delegation focused on the strengths of their school and community. As the largest school of the five in the largest town with the highest capacity percentage, they suggested long-term goal setting and focusing on working towards excellence in education for students. One favourable aspect of their situation they reasoned was the cost savings their school experiences in having 93 per cent of their students walk to class. Blyth Public School delegates stated that history has shown the village wanted children to have the best education the community could provide. The Blyth group raised that point that nothing had been established yet regarding full day education for JK and SK which could affect the space needs in the near future. They wondered if the board had considered double busing for this area. This would have one bus covering the same route twice, one early for high school students and one later for elementary pupils. They also asked the board, if the community at large has to reduce costs what the board was doing to reduce its costs. Also this group polled the school community and found 90 per cent were strongly against Grade 7 and 8 pupils being housed in a high school. T The Blyth delegation stressed the school system should be about the children and their future education. Supporting a school in Blyth was Rev. Ernest Dow of the Living Waters Christian Fellowship. His presentation explained the advantages that his church experiences by using the school facilities for Sunday and week-day activities. The East Wawanosh delegation took a critical lookat what their schoolcommunity has to offer andmade public what they saw asboth strengths andweaknesses. They noted that the fact 90 per cent of their pupils are bused to school offers parents a feeling of safety and security. They cautioned the decision makers not to head in the wrong direction. And to consider that any decision will have a ripple effect on the immediate community and ultimately the other communities when any one or more schools are closed. They stressed a need to be neutral and open minded in the process. A new school, the North Huron Elementary School, was the vision of the Turnberry community. They suggested choosing a central location to incorporate Wingham, East Wawanosh and Turnberry Central in a building that would see the children of that area educated well into the future. Consolidating the resources of the three schools would help to end the territorial issues all five schools are experiencing. A new school would be ‘doing it right the first time’ and not having to be part of a review again in five years. People at the board table questioned whether funds would be made available for a new school in a rural area when much building is taking funds for large urban schools. Another comment questioned the realism of a new school in an area of declining enrollment. Hullett didn’t present a school scenario. Instead they offered an in-depth look at numbers, both physical and fiscal. A conclusion was that all of Hullett’s children could be accommodated at neighbouring schools, some of which are outside the review area. Hinted at by other groups was “the impact”. Hullett brought that out into the open. If other schools are to be impacted by the closing of one or more schools shouldn’t those schools be included in the review? it was asked. They, too, had received negative feedback about moving senior pupils into area high schools or a centralized middle school. Scenarios regarding the five schools have been considered at the board/trustee level. But public input is needed to assist the nine trustees in making the final decisions. Schenk cautioned everyone to “keep an open mind when dealing with the best education for our children”. Baird-Jackson stated, “Specialized spaces can not be provided in every school because of money restraints.” It was noted that a rumour that two schools are closingand the senior pupils will goto area high schools has beencirculating. The schoolrepresentatives asked, “If thedecision has already been made, why are you wasting our time with this process?” The board personnel denied having made any decision. The impact on pupils and communities with these closings was raised time and again by parents. When asked about emotional and social issues the board could only say all efforts are made to smooth transitions and that the advantages outweigh the negatives. In an attempt to show how larger schools offer more opportunities, science has been used as an example. Blyth parent and science teacher, Julie Sawchuck commented, “Access to a bunsen burner can’t compare to the opportunities for personal growth to be found in a smaller school.” She suggested more specialized training for teachers in the smaller schools during development days. Blyth resident, Rick Elliott was “disappointed to see the student side being overshadowed by finances,” a feeling held by many in attendance. He suggested that if finances are clouding a vision of future education, extras need to be found by reaching out to the community. The public is invited to attend the next meeting of the ARC on Jan. 15 in Wingham. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2008.Delegations make presentations to ARC Eat up As is its tradition, Grey Central Public School held its annual turkey dinner for its students last week. All of the students and staff enjoyed turkey, potatoes and gravy, among other menu items served up by the school advisory council. The dinner is one of the school’s most-coveted Christmas traditions. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Notice to Hog Producers Application deadline is December 31, 2008. For more information or for an application form, call 1-800-667-8567 or visit www.agr.gc.ca/cdhi The Circovirus Inoculation Program provides eligible hog producers with financial assistance to offset costs related to testing, diagnosis and treatment of hog herds for Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVAD2). Diagnostic testing/clinical diagnosis • Hog owners or herd managers whose herd(s) have had a certified diagnostic test for PCVAD2 since March 1, 2006, can receive up to $150 per test, up to $2,000 per fiscal year, and up to $4,000 for the duration of the program. • In the absence of a certified diagnostic test, a clinical diagnosis must have been performed by a veterinarian between March 1, 2006, and November 15, 2007. Vaccination Hog owners or herd managers whose animals were part of a herd that tested positive for PCVAD2 can receive up to $1 per piglet and up to $7 per gilt, sow, or boar. By Brenda RadfordSpecial to The Citizen