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The Citizen, 2001-05-16, Page 17WARD & UPTIGROVE. LLP P.O. Box 127 145 MAIN STREET EAST LISTOWEL, ONTARIO N4W 3H2 PHONE: (519) 291-3040 Fax: (519) 291-1850 Erpail: wuca@w-u.on.ca Stet* (Blake Owner!rechnician RR #2 Brussels, Ontario NOG 1H0 Phone/Fax (519) 887-6710 blakey@wightman.net flumn Video and Sound Computer Sales and Service DTH Satellite Systems THE RURAL VOICE MAGAZINE Don't Delay - Subscribe Today The Rural Voice Produced by people with farming in their blood. Serving more than 13,500 readers in the region. One year for $17.12; two years for $28.35 (GST included in prices above) • The Rural Voice Box 429, Blyth, Ont. 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Adult learning on the move in Huron, Perth Counties By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Adult learning is on the move in Huron and Perth Counties, with the Avon Maitland District School Board celebrating what are being trumpeted as new and improved services in Wingham and Stratford. During the "Good News" section of the board's regular meeting, Tuesday, May 8, two different board members alerted their colleagues about recent and upcoming developments in adult learning. Seaforth By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen A regular Tuesday, May 8 meeting of the Avon Maitland District School board began with Central Huron trustee Charles Smith finding no sup- port in, his attempt to amend the night's agenda, and it ended with chair Wendy Anderson directing a sar- castic comment towards Smith about his conversations with the media ear- lier in the day. In between, criticisms of a personal nature found their way into the rift between Smith and much of the rest of the board, a rift which, until now, has been evident but not prominent in public session since the Seaforth industrialist joined the board seven months ago. "Really. I'm glad to see (fellow trustees) say those things in public session," Smith said, following the meeting. "Because I've already heard those things in closed session and now the public gets to hear them." As has been the case several times in the past, Smith failed to garner sec- ondary support in a couple of attempts to pass motions. First, he sought to change the night's agenda so that In Wingham, services located in three different buildings but operated. at least in part, by the board will be consolidated at a single location on the main street. According to Director of Education Lorne Rachlis, the new centre will open some time this com- ing summer and will include such services as adult learning and employment counselling. Also at the May 8 meeting, board chair Wendy Anderson praised the recent relocation of the board's Stratford-based adult learning centre from Stratford Northwestern trustees would be allowed to receive a so-called "director's action report" as information or as a notice-of-motion. instead of as a motion to proceed with the next step of examining the board's future plans for student accommoda- tion. Smith also distributed a list of rea- sons why he opposed the action report, which proposed establishing four community_ accommodation study committees covering the entire- ty of Huron and Perth Counties, and requiring they submit reports to the board by Sept. 30, 2001. Among those reasons were a belief that the board failed to realize its projected savings the last time a similar accommodation study led to school closures; that the disruption of an accommodabion study will prevent the board's stu- dents from improving their scores in provincially-standardized academic tests: and that the board's review timetable means the community com- mittees will lose their influence too early in the process. He also charged that board staff's commissioning of an independent consultant's report, which is referred to in the director's action report and suggests 15 schools to be considered Secondary School to the former Portia Annex, a board-owned build- ing which formerly housed elemen- tary classrooms. Anderson and Stratford trustee Meg Westley attend- ed a recent opening ceremony at the new site. In an interview following the meet- ing, Superintendent of Education Bill Gerth explained the changes offer further proof the board's adult learn- ing and continuing education pro- grams are successful despite what he called "the dearth of funding avail- able from governments for this type for closure, "usurped my rights as a trustee and, therefore, has usurped the rights of my constituents." However, Smith registered the only vote against the action report. And near the conclusion of the meeting, he had a short exchange with Anderson about his comments regarding the consultant's report on a television news report earlier in the day. "And I assume you don't know how the reporter became aware of the con- sultant's report?" Anderson said. Smith responded that his first commu- nication with the reporter was when he was contacted to do the interview. (In fact, though he denies contact- ing the television reporter, Smith did inform some media outlets about the report. Administrative staff have con- firmed, however, that they released the report to trustees without requir- ing that it be kept secret, and that the only reason it wasn't included in the regular information packages for the May 8 meeting was that it would be prohibitively costly to produce multi- ple copies of the nearly 100-page report. Full copies were distributed to the media at the meeting, but not to the public.) However, much of the meeting's of programming." He said the total Avon Maitland budget allocation for adult and continuing education is just $50,000, yet innovative and generous partnerships allow the board to administer programs valued at approximately $2 million. In Wingham, this summer's consol- idation of services from three loca- tions marks a strengthening of already significant partnerships between the board and Wingham- based industry WescaSt, as well as between the board and the federal department of Human Resources personal criticism came during dis- cussion about another topic, one which has peripheral links to the school closure and student accommo- dation issues but is generally unrelat- ed. Smith cast the only vote against another director's action report seek- ing approval of a draft document set- ting out the board's "goals and priori- ties for 2001-2002." He had another list to distribute for this portion of the meeting, which he presented as addi- tional goals to be included as amend- ments to the draft. In this case, he suc- ceeded in moving the amendments to the discussion phase, when Perth East and South representative Carol Bennewies seconded his motion. But that was the end of the support. South Huron trustee Randy Wagler began by arguing that few of Smith's proposals could be defined as "goals" or "priorities," suggesting they might be actions for discussion at a later date on a more specific basis. Stratford trustee Meg Westley reit- erated Wagler's comments, turning to address Smith directly. In the end, all but Listowel trustee Donald Brillinger and chair Wendy Anderson (Northwest Huron representative Development (HRDC). Currently, says Gerth, adult education programs are operated partly out of a classroom at F.E. Madill Secondary School and partly out of an old home on Wescast property. As well, the board and HRDC operate the Huron Employment Resource Centre at a separate location. All three will be consolidated with the move. In Stratford, according to Gerth, the main reason for the move to the for- mer Portia Annex was the "very cramped" nature of an existing adult education classroom at Northwestern. Butch Desjardins was absent) spoke strongly against tho amendments. Bennewies, who had seconded Smith's motion, took particular exception to the Seaforth trustee's request for full disclosure of the financial particulars of the board's distance education program. "I think the distance education pro- gram is vital," Bennewies said. "I don't see how he can say that it's not of great value for education in the 21st century." Stratford trustee Rod Brown proba- - bly levelled the most personal accusa- tion, suggesting Smith is only con- cerned about the preservation of Seaforth District High School, a cause he successfully championed before being acclaimed to the board. "Like many of the other documents brought before the board by Mr. Smith, I have great difficulty with the tone of this motion," Brown said. "I believe the only real inequity that's present here tonight is one trustee's concentration on one school at the expense of 53 others." "Looks like I've been voted off the island," Smith said with a shrug following the 6-1 defeat of his motion. trustee gets `voted off the island' Business Directory PAR POWER I BDO BDO Dunwoody, LLP Chartered Accountants and Consultants Offering a full range of services: auditing, accounting, business planning, income tax planning, personal financial planning, computer and management services. Wingham Walkerton Hanover Mount Forest Port Elgin A.P. Reed, CA B.F. Thomson, FCA J.J. Hunt, CA K.L. Drier, CA M.S. Bolton, CA R.J. Millen, CA G.H. Munro, CA K. Oelschlagel, CA 323-2351 P. Thor, FCA Kincardine R.G. Thomas, CA R .J. Wilkinson, CGA S.D. 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