The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1999-10-20, Page 7THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20,1999. PAGE 7. Parents ask for more options Parent says savings must improve programming By Susan Hundertmark Special to The Citizen More options must exist than school closures or cuts to programs, two parent delega tions told trustees at last week’s meeting of the Avon Maitland District School Board. “I don’t believe there are only two options,” said Mike Brine, of South Perth Centennial Public School’s school council. “There are always other options. If they can be implemented or not is up for discussion.” Brine asked if administra tion could be reorganized to cut costs, sharing one princi pal and one vice-principal with three elementary schools, leaving a secretary at each school. He added that if schools need to be closed, the savings must be used to improve pro gramming so that enrollment can be maintained or improved. “Nobody’s going to accept travelling another half hour if the program is not improved at the other school. We need to make it very palatable if we’re going to close schools,” said Brine. As well, Brine said that since the board is asking for parents to be open-minded about the school accommoda tion process, he hopes that the board will also be open-mind ed. “We are all passionate about education and the well-being of our children? We will speak with all the passion we feel to influence you in your deci sion,” he said. Education Director Lome Rachlis said no small elemen tary schools have vice-princi pals and many of the princi pals are already administering two schools while teaching part-time. He added that because this year’s declining enrollment of two per cent will cause a loss of $600,000. in revenue, there will be no savings made by closing schools. “We’re going to have $600,000 less next year. We don’t have the money to put back into programs,” he said. Daniel Gill, who has two children at Stephen Central Public School, asked why enrollment is dropping. “Are they relocating, drop ping out or are we losing them to the separate system? The separate system seems to be bursting at the seams. What are they doing differently than us?” Trustee Donald Brillinger said the trend of depopulating rural areas has been happen ing for at least 30 years with larger and fewer farms and graduates travelling out of the area to find jobs. Need to Know about the Firearms Act Review attempts to give answers High school will see reductions By Susan Hundertmark Special to The Citizen An accommodations review questions and answers docu ment will attempt to answer as many questions from the pub lic as possible, Education Director Lome Rachlis told trustees at last week’s meeting of the Avon Maitland District School Board. While Trustee Vickie Culbert complained that the document will not answer every question that is asked by parents, Rachlis said answering every question will be impossible. “We don’t have the staff or the time. Some of the ques tions are quite specific about specific schools and it would be a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question,” he said. A new process implemented recently by the board asks members of the public to write down their questions and submit them during board meetings. Answers are sup posed to be available at the following board meeting. While the questions and answers document currently focuses on the accommoda tion review issue, it has a sec tion for general questions as well. Rachlis said the current document was compiled using two weeks of staff time, involving every member of the senior staff. “A fair amount of effort goes into these answers and there’s a fair amount of repeti tion in the questions so far,” he said. Student trustee Sarah Agar recommended that the ques tions and answers document be posted on the board’s web site and at schools, local busi nesses and newspaper outlets to make sure the public has its questions answered. “We (student trustees) were concerned about whether or not people are going to get answers to their questions. The written questions are great if they’re regulars at the board meetings but what if they can’t make the time com mitment (to return to the fol lowing meeting for an answer),” she said. So far, the six-page docu ment answers questions on the “themes” of cost savings through school closures, Grades 7 and 8 in high school, enrolment and student reten tion, reducing salary costs, the director’s task force and gen eral questions. Continued from page 1 Rachlis said that school clo sures will dislocate some stu dents for a short time but pointed to the Grades 7 and 8 students at Upper Thames Public School who were transferred from Mitchell Public School this fall. “They’re all settled in nice ly and very happy in their new school,” he said. Because of the recent change in high school cur riculum that compresses five years into four by getting rid of OAC, Rachlis said there will be “large reductions” in the number of students at dis trict high schools. “If we want to keep the larger buildings with the best facilities in the community, we’ll have to look at taking Grades 7 and 8 out of elemen tary schools,” he said. Trustee Abby Armstrong told parents the board is aware that closing schools can mean destroying commu nities and that the provincial funding formula for school boards does not fit rural Ontario. “Obviously, we’re petition ing long and loud with the ministry (of education and training). Kids are a lot more than $5,000 or $6,000 each,” she said. 1A licence for you (a hunting licence won’t do) WATCH OUT WHEN WORKING UNDER POWER LINES Take extra care when working near overhead power lines. Never allow yourself or the equipment to come close to or contact the lines. Anyone touching that equipment will be seriously injured. Or killed. And step ping out of a vehicle that is touching the lines could be fatal. For advice or assistance, call our Customer Communications Centre at 1-888-664-9376 or visit our website at wwww.onhydro.com for more safety information. Ql Ontario Hydro Services Company L RICHARD Number/Nwo&o 1234567890.01 Oslo ol Birth I Oate de rtaissanco 1958*01 *01 Y/A M D/J Height I Tonic Gander/Sew 170 CM MALE FIREARMS LICENCE / PERMIS D’ARMES A FEU SSESSION ONLY * POSSESSION SEULEMENT Expires I Expiration 2004 • 01 • 01 Y/A M D/J Eyos/Yeux BLUE You need a Firearms Act licence or valid FAC to possess and register your firearms. 2A registration certificate for your firearm2 A for your firearm registration certificate GX 3 Remember to safely store your firearm. For more information, application forms and assistance filling them out, call 1 800 731-4000 or visit our Web site at www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca Firearm safety is everyone’s concern Canada