HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-07-05, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2007.
The two publicly-funded school
boards in Huron and Perth County
have combined the administration of
their transportation services, in
keeping with a provincial
government directive to form what
are being called “consortia.”
“Effective July 1, 2007, the Huron
Perth Student Transportation
Services (HPSTS) will manage all
home-to-school and special needs
transportation for almost 14,000
students” in the Avon Maitland and
Huron-Perth Catholic district school
boards, stated a June 26 news
release.
The two boards “have a long
history of working together in the
area of transportation,” the news
release noted. “The creation of the
(HPSTS) consortium is considered a
natural next step.”
The cheery tone of the news
release, however, wasn’t necessarily
carried through later in the day,
when Avon Maitland business
superintendent Janet Baird-Jackson
discussed the change with reporters
following the board’s final regular
meeting of the school year.
She said, “we’ve really been doing
lots of sharing of transportation
since back in the 1980s,” and
questioned the Education
Ministry’s assertion that creating
consortia will result in better
efficiencies.
That might be true for some
boards, Baird-Jackson said, but “I
don’t think we’re going to see
substantial savings.”
The move was made because “the
Ministry is mandating that all boards
are going to be in consortia,” she
said. When asked if the Ministry will
follow up on the creation of
consortia and provide extra
transportation funds to those boards
which comply, she responded, “I
would certainly hope so.”
The business superintendent was
also asked if she believed the
Education Ministry would extend
into other areas the requirement for
cooperation between public and
Catholic school systems. Baird-
Jackson didn’t rule it out.
“Over the last little while, you can
see the province starting to look at
boards in terms of the capital plan
process,” she said. Education
Ministry representatives
have promoted the idea of
considering cooperation between
coterminous boards if new schools
are required.
“What they don’t want to see is a
whole bunch of vacant schools in
one board and a lot of construction in
another,” she explained.
And even at the June 26 Avon
Maitland board meeting, trustee
Doug Pratley mused aloud about the
possibility of joining forces with the
Huron-Perth board in providing
specialized programming.
“If our goal is to serve students,
then maybe that’s what we should be
looking at,” the Stratford
representative said.
Baird-Jackson said there has been
no indication, thus far, that the
Education Ministry is considering
this type of cooperation.
From an office within the Seaforth
headquarters of the Avon Maitland
board, HPSTS will report to a joint
committee made up of
representatives from each board.
Avon Maitland transportation
manager Dennis Harris will take the
top job in the new organization.
Baird-Jackson noted this will
represent one possible saving;
former Huron-Perth Catholic
transportation manager Lin
Steffler retired recently, and now
there will be one top manager
for the services at both boards.
“When school resumes in
September, 2007, students will not
likely notice any change in school
bus services,” stated the June 26
news release.
Gallery opening
Ron Milton, left, a London-based artist, opened the Blyth Festival Art Gallery June 28 with a
collection of his works. Symbols 3 is a collection of paintings as well as sculptures that will run
at the gallery until July 19, when a new collection will be unveiled. Ron Walker, right, is the
curator of the show. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Transportation consortia
come to Huron and Perth
Boasting minor enhancements in
primary language support, resources
for students at risk of dropping out,
and internet connectivity, the Avon
Maitland District School Board
approved a $161.5 million budget
for 2007-08.
“This is a balanced budget that, I
believe, does reflect our priorities as
a board,” said South Huron trustee
Randy Wagler, chair of the Avon
Maitland Finance Committee.
Controversy has erupted during
this year’s budget deliberations by
some neighbouring school boards
but not at the Avon Maitland board
or the “coterminous” Huron-Perth
Catholic District School Board.
While the Thames Valley and
Bluewater (Grey and Bruce
Counties) boards agonized over the
loss of educational assistant (EA)
and attendance counsellor positions,
next year’s Avon Maitland budget
maintains the status quo on EAs and
adds a half-time attendance
counsellor.
There will also be two additional
COPE teachers, who specialize in
alternative programming for
high school students who aren’t
meeting success in a traditional
environment.
Wagler credited administrative
staff for meeting the challenge of
limited funds. Even entering the
budget process in the spring,
business superintendent Janet Baird-
Jackson couldn’t assure trustees that
the provincial grant would cover
everything they hoped to retain.
“Some of that was internal
priorities,” Baird-Jackson explained
to reporters after trustees approved
the budget on Tuesday, June 26.
For example, she suggested, a
superintendent overseeing
elementary schools might opt to
hold off on acquiring new resources
in order to free up funds to retain
EAs.
Reserve funds were drawn down
by $770,000 to balance the budget,
but the bulk of that was from a
reserve that was established
precisely for that purpose. A
provincially-negotiated
“framework” agreement with
teachers, signed two years ago
and running through next year,
dictated salary increases as of Aug.
31, 2007.
“Knowing that was coming, we
put $670,000 in reserve to cover
that increase,” Baird-Jackson
explained.
The other $100,000 in reserve
draw-down came from a fund for
computer software upgrades.
In other computer-related
upgrades, the board plans to begin
installing fibre optic transmission
lines to its schools, to increase the
amount of bandwidth available for
on-line activities by students,
teachers and administrators.
School boardapproves its07/08 budget
Heather Van Dorp ~ 519-523-9821
INDEPENDENT STAMPIN UP DEMONSTRATOR
Calling all Scrapbookers and Stampers
Mark Your Calendars!
Saturday, July 7
10 am - 2 pm
Londesborough Community Hall
This come-and-go event includes
• Door Prizes
• Make a card to take home
All New Idea book available at 1/2 price for this day only!
Bring a friend and you will receive FREE shipping on
any orders placed on this day from the New Idea book!
Order your
custom-made
cards
A variety
of handmade
cards
for sale
STAMPING & SCRAPBOOKING
YARD SALE
Whole new line of classes
and clubs
for the summer and fall
Over 100 new and used stamp sets priced to sell,
along with a huge selection of
overstocked paper crafting
products.
We are pleased to
announce the graduation of
Emily Elston on June 20, 2007
from Georgian College, Barrie.
She received her diploma in
Medical Office Administration
and is currently employed at
Wingham and District Hospital.
With love,
Dad & Leanne & family
Congratulations
GRADUATION
AMY BARNES
At the winter convocation of
the University of Guelph, Amy
Rebecca Barnes received her
Honours Bachelor of Arts
Degree with Distinction in
Philosophy. This fall, she will
be entering the Doctor of
Philosophy program at McGill
University in Montreal.
Congratulations on your
academic success.
– Love, Mom and Dad
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen