HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-11-26, Page 1News ♦______I________Sports I Education
Edna McLellan wins
Morris council seat after
recount
See page 6
Brussels Bulls replace
head coach after weekend
loss
See page 8
Director of Education
defends Huron against
‘Free Press’ report
See page 22
Education director says
catch-up should be easy
Vigil held to mourn
democracy’s death
With teachers and students set
tled back into the classroom, it is
time for the Huron County Board
of Education administration and
principals to determine how the lost
educational time will be made up.
"The process is similar to snow
days," said HCBE Director of Edu
cation Paul Carroll, at the Nov. 17
board meeting. "It is essentially the
same concept which can be done
with no penalty to the kids."
Carroll pointed out that in previ
ous years, there had been as many
as nine snow days lost and in the
case of the 1978 secondary school
teacher's strike which lasted 31
days, there were no adjustments to
the school year.
However, along with input and
management from principals and
comments from federation repre
sentatives, the board has suggested
ways in which instruction time can
be recovered. .
The options include: adjusting
the schedule of professional devel
opment and examination days; cur
riculum compression, particularly
in the secondary panel; individual
school adjustment of special events
and non-instructional activities and
nominal adjustments to the length
of the day.
Though some trustees expressed
concern about compressing the cur
riculum, Carroll said this could be
done in some courses as there are
mandatory and optional units.
A lengthening of the school day
could be achieved by slightly short
er break periods.
He also stressed it is not possible,
for legal and financial reasons, to
extend the school year past the 196
days.
A motion, passed by the board,
combined the options as follows:
principals be directed to undertake
curriculum compression and adjust
ments to the length of the school
day wherever that is possible, with
out penalty to students (recovery of
up to three days); principals be
instructed to review and monitor
individual school schedules to min
imize disruption to instructional
time by constraining special events
and activities, without penalty to
co-instructional (extra-curricular)
programs (recovery of up to three
days) and a total of three profes
sional development and examina
tion days in the secondary panel
and a total of two professional
Continued on page 6
A gathering of concerned resi
dents and teachers held a vigil
Tuesday evening "to mourn the
death of democracy and public edu
cation in Ontario."
As the battle continues over the
controversial education legislation,
Bill 160, which is expected to pass
third reading 'in the very near
future, the Ontario Teachers' Feder
ation will not let it go quietly.
Huron educators, members of
Ontario Secondary School Teach
ers' Federation, Ontario Public
School Teachers' Federation,
Huron Women Teachers' Federa
tion, Ontario English Catholic
Teachers' Federation and Canadian
Union of Public Employees, held a
candlelight vigil on The Square in
Goderich Tuesday evening.
Parents and community members
joined the teachers in the vigil,
which began at 5:30 pm., and fea
tured speeches from community
leaders.
Those gathered marched to
Goderich schools to place green
ribbons in support pf public educa
tion.
OPP get ready for RIDE
'Tis the season to be jolly, but
drunk drivers beware.
Officers throughout the province
are launching their annual festive
RIDE program. Huron Community
Services Officer for Huron, John
Marshall of the Goderich OPP said
that the program this year will run
from Nov. 29 to Jan. 2.
There will be an official kickoff
at the Wingham OPP detachment
on Thursday, Nov. T1 at 10 a.m.
Present will be Lynn Magee of the
Huron-Bruce chapter of MADD
(Mothers Against Drunk Drivers).
"Then there will be random spot
World-class carvers
to open Blyth studio
With the sale of a small piece of
otherwise useless property, Blyth
council welcomed world-renowned
artists to the community.
The sale of Part Lot 12, Plan 168,
a narrow section of land situated
south of the post office on Queen
Street, helped closed the deal for
Laura Lucio and her family to
locate their artists’ studio in the vil
lage.
Lucio, along with her brother,
Jason, and father, Larry, who are
world-class wooden-bird carvers,
plan to expand the building, previ
ously Pizza Plus, creating a larger
On the same day the vigil was
announced, an open letter to Pre
mier Mike Harris, from Eileen
Lennon, president of the Ontario
Teachers' Federation was released.
In response to a speech made by
Harris at a Progressive Conserva
tive fundraiser in North Bay, Nov.
20, and comments in The Toronto
Star, Lennon replied that the feder
ations have offered alternatives and
amendments to Bill 160, contrary
to the premier's comments.
The Star report quoted Harris as
saying that because no amendments
or alternatives had been received or
further talks scheduled, Bill . SO
would pass as is.
Lennon sought a public correc
tion and apology from Harris, say
ing amendments had been filed by
the federation, prior to the Nov. 5
deadline and Education Minister
David Johnston was unavailable for
talks.
Amendments filed by the federa
tion covered such topics as instruc
tional year and day, class size,
seniority and principal and vice
principal roles.
checks everywhere for the duration
of the campaign," said Marshall.
The RIDE initiative in OPP munic
ipal locations will deploy extra
officers in Clinton, Seaforth and
Exeter specifically, as the program
is funded by provincial grant.
Last year's numbers indicated
that the efforts to reduce the num
bers of impaired drivers on the
roadway may be working. Of 6,108
vehicle checks only one impaired
driver was charged. There was also
only six 12- hours suspensions.
"Hopefully, it means people are
getting the message," said Mar
shall.
work area for themselves and
future classes, said Blyth Reeve
Mason Bailey.
Part of the reason they decided to
locate in Blyth was because of the
Greenway Project, he said. It is a
draw for wildlife, the focus of their
work.
From the $2,500 raised from the
sale of the land, Blyth council
agreed to put $1,000 towards the
Blyth Brook Greenway Project,
with the balance, after expenses, to
be held in trust by the village, as
seed money for the development of
an historical/heritage walking tour.