HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-11-21, Page 1TH The Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001 Volume 17 No. 46
1-UPON PUBlISHING COMP,t.NV ANC i
Inside this week
Trustee warned to
'shut his mouth'
Midgets tie
Teeswater
in Beavers, Cubs Pg. Lk/ collect in Brussels
2 3
Dine out with Pg. Festival fundraiser
Pg. 24 Blyth may lose
physician
Bureau
opens
The Huron County Christmas
Bureau is again asking local
residents to ensure that no child in
Huron has an empty stocking this
Christmas. Last year the Bureau gave
975 children a reason to celebrate the
festive season.
In existence since 1963, the
Bureau is a volunteer community
service run as a co-operative venture
between area churches and the
Children's Aid Society. They work
closely with local foodbanks .to
ensure there is food for all needy
families over the holiday season.
Funds donated to the Bureau are
used to -.purchase food certificates
and clothing in sizes where donations
are lacking. The purchases are made
from local businesses and funds are
administered through the Children's -
Benefit Fund to ensure that all funds
received provide direct material
benefits to needy children.
In order to receive assistance
families do not need a connection
with the CAS. The only stipulation is
they live in Huron and the person
registering the children must be the
custodial parent. For many families,
the Bureau is their only contact with
CAS.
Local offices have been set up at
Bethel Bible Church, Seaforth;
Wesley Willis United Church,
Clinton and St. Paul's Anglican,
Wingham. Donations can be made
there or at the Memorial Hall, Blyth,
and the Brussels Country Inn, Village
Food Market or CIBC in Brussels.
Organizations and businesses will
be holding activities in support of the
Bureau with the Brussels Country
Inn having a 50/50 draw and
Majestic Women's Institute holding
its annual November collection from
members to contribute to the drive.
Institute President Lucy Hess said
many Members also, take a child's
name off the 'angel tree' located at
the CIBC in Brussels and buy an
appropriate gift.
To ensure they are able to meet all
requests the Bureau asks• that
donations be made prior to the end of
the first week in December.
Anyone wishing to register a child
should contact the Children's Aid
Society of Huron County at 524-
7356 or toll free at 1-800-255-5198.
The Avon Maitland District School
Board will move out of its Seaforth
*headquarters for two special
meetings at the end of November, to
hear school council reports from the
46 schools recommended for
possible changes under the board's
"so-called "accommodation review,"
Possible closure has been
suggested in the case of 19
elementary schools and one
secondary school (Seaforth District
High School). At the other schools,
changes such as border alterations
and the congregation of Grades 7
and 8 students have been
recommended, largely in order to
accommodate students relocated by
school closures.
In advance of a Dec. 11 regular
board meeting, at which trustees are
expected to be presented with a
shortened list of schools
recommended for further study,
school councils from each affected
facility have been asked to prepare a
report. Those reports will be
delivered during two special
meetings: Monday, Nov. 26 at
Mitchell District High School and
Wednesday, Nov. 28 at Central
Huron Secondary School in Clinton.
Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m.
The Nov. 26 meeting will host 24
of the school councils, representing
schools within the territory served by
high schools in Mitchell, Stratford,
St. Marys and Exeter. This includes
elementary schools in Hensali,
Zurich, Mornington and Milverton,
which are near boundaries with other
secondary school feeder zones.
Reports from schools, within the
areas served by high schools in
Seaforth, Clinton, Goderich,
Wingham and Listowel will be
presented on Nov. 28.
The extra meetings were approved
by trustees at a regular Avon
Maitland meeting Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Three other special meetings were
also approved on a tentative basis, in
preparation for an expected rise in
the number of public delegations
brought forward as the
accommodation review process
continues.
Tuesday, Dec. 4, the board will
meet to decide on year-long terms
for chair, vice-chair and delegate for
the Ontario Public School Boards'
Association. The following night,
Dec. 5, a tentative meeting has been
scheduled in anticipation of
delegations wishing to address the
board prior to the expected Dec, 11
vote on a shortened list of schools
for further study.
Another tentative meeting was set
for Wednesday, Dec, 12 —
according to information distributed
to trustees, "to deal with matters
related to the Student
Accommodation Review." When the
first list of schools for possible
change was presented to trustees in
late October, the board was forced to
postpone the conclusion of the
meeting an entire week after it got
too late for all trustees to have their
say. The tentative Dec. 12 meeting
would insure a more timely
conclusion, should the Dec. 11
Continued on page 6
75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
HE hears
from
delegates,
parent
By David Blaney
Citizen staff
The threat of school closures in
Huron East was again front and
centre at the Nov. 13 meeting of the
committee of the Municipal council.
Councillor Dick Burgess, and Fred
Leitch from the Central West School
Accommodation Review Committee
and Maureen Agar, Chairman of the
Seaforth District High School
parents' council appeared as
delegations. They provided council
with an overview of the past history
and present situation with regard to
school closure.
The presentations and many of the
comments from. council indicated
that the Avon Maitland board is
perceived as unfair and questioned
the open-mindedness of its
administration.
Agar commented, "Numerous
volunteers have put in countless
hours and have made several
proposals (for the Seaforth District
High School) but none have been
seriously considered." She went on
to say she felt the board did not take
her group's ideas seriously because
they were not "professional
educators."
Agar also provided the council
with two studies indicating small and
rural schools produce better
educational outcomes for students.
Leitch, who was involved m the
Central West study group said, "The
board appears to be doing its
planning on the basis of 100 per cent
capacity." Burgess added, " In a real
world situation it is very challenging
for principals and very challenging
for students to have schools at more
than 90 per cent capacity. It removes
flexibility and leads to portables.
He also noted, "A kindergarten
student is a real whole person but
they are counted as half a person for
ministry and board calculations (on
capacity )."
Leitch later questioned the board's
growth projections that, if incorrect,
could cause occupancy problems in
the future. He said, "The board
wants to use very pessimistic
projections. What they are saying is
growth is going to be two-tenths of
one per cent per year for the next 15
years."
He noted that independent
demographers had suggested a
growth projection of three times that
amount would be more appropriate.
Leitch also had questions about the
board's budget process and
openness. He asked council, "Can
you believe we have a body with 130
million of our dollars and it doesn't
have a written budget policy'?"
He also told council that when
Charles Smith, representing Huron
Central on the Avon Maitland board
„asked for a line-by-line budget to
check potential savings from
previous closures, he was unable to
get He only receives a . budget
Continued on page 7
Dining at Chez Black
Blyth Public School Principal Kim slack has her students eating out of her hand. Actually she
was fulfilling her part of the bargain when she served pizza to the Grade 8 students in
recognition of the fact that they had raised the most of any class towards the new playground
equipment. (Daod Blaney photo)
AMDSB to hear front public
Pg. 6
Pg. 8
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen