HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-04-12, Page 30New dollars for the arts and phys-
ed are certainly welcomed by school
board administrators in Huron and
Perth Counties, as is the opportunity
to delay complying with next
September’s Primary class size
targets in specific cases.
But the most significant element
of the March 19 Education Ministry
funding announcement wasn’t how
much money went where; it was the
date on the calendar.
“All in all, it was good news,”
reported Avon Maitland District
School Board education director
Geoff Williams.
“And particularly, we’re very
happy to be able to start planning
well ahead of when we have to
submit our budgets for next year,
which we haven’t really been able to
do for a number of years.”
Repeatedly over the past few
years, Ontario school boards have
expressed frustration with the timing
of the Ministry’s funding grant
announcements.
According to Williams, “the
announcement that was made
(March 19) sometimes didn’t come
until June.”
That meant administrators had to
scramble in order to undergo the
legislated budget consultation
process and then comply with the
provinces budget submission
deadline.
And because boards are
uncomfortable waiting until after
June to plan the next year’s teaching
staff, it forced administrators to
estimate totals for what is, by far, a
board’s biggest expenditure.
“So you sometimes ended up
looking at money designated for
areas outside of staff to cover the
shortfall,” Williams said.
According to the announcement,
government spending on Education
for 2007-08 will total $18.3 billion,
an increase of $781 million over this
year.
New grants have been created in
three specific areas. A new fund for
First Nations students won’t be used
in Huron and Perth Counties, but a
program enhancement grant for art,
music, phys-ed and Outdoor
Education will come in handy. The
$35 million grant will be allocated
by boards on a $7,500-per-school
basis, to either enrich existing
programs or to offer new ones.
A $10 million Supported Schools
Allocation, although meant “to
ensure schools in small communities
with low or declining enrolments
remain viable,” won’t be applied in
the Avon Maitland board. That’s
because it applies only to elementary
schools that are 30 kilometres or
more from other elementary schools
of the board, and secondary schools
that are 60 kilometres or more from
other secondary schools of the
board.
There will be some money in the
fund for the Huron-Perth Catholic
District School Board: two of its
elementary schools fall within the
Supported Schools Allocation
criteria.
According to Huron-Perth
business superintendent Gerry
Thuss, the goal of the fund is to
“ensure there are a minimum
number of teachers in the school.”
He noted previous government
initiatives provided allowances for
principals and support staff in rural
and remote schools.
Other increases in the 2007-08
Education grant, compared with this
year, include funding to help boards
meet the target of 20 or fewer
students in Primary classrooms,
Student Success teachers who work
with pupils at risk of dropping out,
and a three per cent salary increase
for all staff.
The Ministry news release also
cites increases for transportation and
utilities like electricity, fuel and
heating, but Williams cautions these
increases may not be sufficient. In
fact, he refers to transportation and
utilities as potential “pressure
points” as the Avon Maitland
board’s budget planning sessions
approach.
“We’ve consistently run a deficit
in transportation,” the Avon
Maitland education director noted.
PAGE 30. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007.With another party expressing
interest in conducting civil
ceremonies for North Huron,
council made a decision at the April
12 meeting to leave it with two
designates for now.
Melissa Snyders submitted a letter
to council asking that her name be
added to North Huron’s list of
individuals eligible to unite couples
in marriage. Snyders is a lay
minister and motivational speakerwell known in the area. Councillor Greg McClinchey saidhe didn’t see a downside in having a
third person available to do wedding
services. “Is there something I’m
missing?”
Clerk-administrator Kriss Snell
said having too many was a bit of a
concern for him as he is ultimately
responsible and needed to have
some control.
Reeve Neil Vincent spoke in
favour of Snyders saying that she is
well-known in the area and familiarto many young people. The question of protocol wasaddressed however. Deputy-clerk
Kathy Adams said that when
the decision was made to do
civil ceremonies in North Huron,
council asked for interested parties
to submit applications. “The two we
have were the two we selected at the
time.”
“If there was a protocol in the
past, I wonder what those others
would think if we suddenly bring in
someone else,” said councillorArnold Taylor.Asked about how manyceremonies are being performed,
Adams said 10. “The two people are
actually being booked directly now.
Requests aren’t even coming
through this office.”
McClinchey wondered if a third
person, particularly one who is well
known in the area, might not mean
more ceremonies. “Is it possible we
could go from 10 to more if we had
someone with high visibility. I think
there’s potential for increasedrevenue.”Adams said, however, that thismight not be the case, as Morris-
Turnberry may soon be offering the
same service.
“I think then we might actually
lose, because a lot of the ceremonies
we have are for Morris-Turnberry
residents.”
A decision was made to keep
Snyders request on file to be
considered if one of the other
designates quits.
It was a case of good news, bad
news last Tuesday, March 27, for the
public perception of French as a
second language education in Huron
and Perth Counties.
Meeting in separate boardrooms
on the same night, trustees from the
Huron-Perth Catholic and Avon
Maitland District School Boards
heard two very different messages
regarding so-called “core French.”
In Dublin, four Grade 2 students
from the nearby St. Patrick’s
Catholic elementary school donned
masks and turned the boardroom
into a stage to perform Les Trois
Petits Cochons (The Three Little
Pigs).
Accompanied by French teacher
Wilma Kolkman, they demonstrated
an approach called Gestures, which
incorporates hand signals and body
language as a means of enhancing
students’ ability to retain French
vocabulary.
“It attaches an action to a word or
an expression,” Kolkman explained.
“It’s easier for kids to learn and
remember because it’s more than
just saying the word. It’s an
interactive method.”
Kolkman told reporters after the
performance that the approach is
part of a larger system developed by
British Columbia-based consultant
Wendy Maxwell, who delivered a
workshop to teachers from both the
Huron-Perth and Avon Maitland
boards last year.
“The kind of expertise and skill
you’re bringing out in our other
teachers is just amazing,” said
education superintendent Martha
Dutrizac, referring to Kolkman’s
efforts in assisting other Huron-
Perth teachers in mastering Gestures
instruction.
Down the road in Seaforth,
however, Avon Maitland trustees
heard about their province-wide
lobby group’s disappointment with
the Ontario Education ministry’s
core French approach.
Perth East trustee Tina Traschel,
who represents the board on the
Ontario Public School Boards
Association (OPSBA), reported that
one of the organization’s working
groups “has been hearing for a long
time” that the time spent by students
learning French is not adequately
reflected in the skill level of
graduates.
Perth South/West Perth
representative Carol Bennewies
agreed, noting her daughter always
achieved high marks in French and
could read and write the language
well, but was not able to carry on a
conversation upon graduation.
The OPSBA working group is
seeking input from boards, as a
response to a recent federal
government plan to require a
doubling of the number of
“functionally literate” graduates by
2013.
“I’d be very interested in knowing
how many students we’re graduating
now who are functionally literate,”
noted education director Geoff
Williams, adding he would like to
have clarification on the federal
government?s definition of
“functionally literate.”
“If they want us to double (that
number), it may not be very tough.”
Stratford trustee Meg Westley said
she’s in favour of strengthened core
French, if it can be delivered in such
a way as to increase the fluency of
graduates.
“But I don’t want us to have to
find money in our budgets for it.
If (governments) are going to make
us do that, there should be
funding.”
NH civil ceremony designates will remain at 2
Public view mixed on French as second language
Albers ~ Jones
Pete & Lanie Albers
of Bluevale are
pleased to announce
the marriage of their
son Paul to Jennifer
Jones, daughter of
Ray & Ani Jones of
Ajax, Ont. and
Tammy & Dave
Dalziel of Barrie,
Ont. The wedding
took place Saturday,
February 24, 2007 at
St. Ambrose
Church, Brussels.
Paul & Jenn current-
ly reside in RR#1
Ethel.
By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Board welcomes new dollars for arts, phys ed
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
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