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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-10-18, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2000. School board revises process for examining space By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen In what can be seen as an attempt to answer criticisms leveled at the Avon Maitland District School Board during its recent failed attempt to close Seaforth District High School (SDHS), trustees of the board unanimously approved a revised process for examining the amount of space it has available, and making changes based on such examinations. In a rarely-used format following the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10, trustees entered a public ses­ sion of committee of the whole, thereby providing public access to discussions of the issue. But there was little trustee discussion, short of praising the staff which created the new document, entitled Board Policy No. 29: Student Accommodation Review. “When I look at this policy, I’m not looking at anything much differ­ ent from what we’ve had before; it s just been enhanced,” said the often critical Abby Armstrong, whose area of representation includes SDHS. But the previous policy for closing schools, which had been drafted by many of the same staff members, accounted for part of the reason the board failed to defend its February, 2000 decision to close SDHS, when that decision was challenged in provincial court. Three Divisional Court judges agreed, in a May, 2000 ruling, that the board had breached its “duty of fairness” in denying sup­ porters of SDHS the same level of community consultation as commu­ nity groups in other centres. Most importantly, the board issued mandates to groups in other centres to study the issue of school accommodations, prior to its approval in November, 1999, of a list of seven schools for possible closure. No such study was under­ taken in the Seaforth community, though three schools in the area were eventually affected by the list. Extensive community consultation was then undertaken in Seaforth, but the Divisional Court judges ruled that was not sufficient. In presenting details of the new policy to trustees at the Oct. 10 meeting, superintendent Bill Gerth explained it will now be mandatory to consult all communities which could be affected, before naming any schools for possible closure. He used a flow chart to summarize the process, and its various stages all included three steps: staff reports, board decisions and community input. “If you look at the chart, you'll see that there are several steps before the actual naming of schools for possible closure, and that step doesn’t actual­ ly occur until about three-quarters of willSchool councils have more input says superintendent the way through the process,” Gerth said. The superintendent also noted there will be increased involvement by school councils, members of which are elected by parents of stu­ dents attending the schools. “We’re recognizing that the school councils are the elected representa­ tives of the schools and, in this instance, are probably best suited to dealing with the situation at each school,” Gerth said. The two-month consultation process, following the naming of schools for possible closure, remains in place. That means, even if a fast- tracking effort was put in place, the current edition of the Avon Maitland board could not close a school before its mandate concludes at the end of November. But following the meeting, Director of Education Lome Rachlis would not rule out the possibility that the new trustees, to be elected in the Nov. 13 munici­ pal vote, would approve the closure of schools for June, 2001. “It would be physically pos­ sible to make some changes for the end of this school year,” Rachlis said. Under Policy No. 29, the first step would be an annual report from board staff about the over-all state of student accommodation across Huron and Perth Counties. According to Rachlis, that report could come “any time between now and June.” Trustees would then vote on any recommendations made in that annual report and, if a “substan­ tial change” is to be made, a “com­ munity accommodation study” must be initiated. But Rachlis noted that “substantial change” doesn’t necessarily mean school closure. “We could be look­ ing at an area of rising enrolment, such as in Listowel, where we have a number of portable (classrooms),” he said. “We may decide that we need community involvement to make a change in that regard.” But most likely, school closure remains a priority. Not only did the successful challenge of the SDHS decision force the board to revise its budget for the 2000-2001 school year, its initial student accommoda­ tion plan included the possible clo­ sure of two more schools this year in central and north Huron County. The board justified its ongoing plan to close schools by pointing to budgetary shortfalls brought on by declining enrolment and strict provincial funding guidelines. Both factors remain in place, and with Rachlis’s assertion that closure this year is “physically possible” despite the interruption of a municipal elec­ tion, the ugly issue of school closure could soon rear its head again, espe­ cially in Huron County. AMDSB joins fight for special education funding By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen The Avon Maitland District School Board has joined some of its counterparts across Ontario in urg­ ing the provincial government to reconsider proposed changes to spe­ cial education funding. “These changes in funding do not come from any change in the needs of the pupils we serve. Instead, they result. . . from an audit process that is deeply flawed,” states a draft letter to Education Minister Janet Ecker, presented to trustees at the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10. Trustees unanimously approved the intent of the letter, though Perth South representative Maggie Laprade received support when she suggested minor changes to alter the accusatory tone of the letter’s final sentence. In its place, she presented an addi­ tional paragraph, aimed at building concensus. “I’ve worked with civil servants before and I’m pretty sure ending the letter (in an accusatory manner) could make them decide not to want to take the letter seriously,” Laprade cautioned. Laprade, who sits on the board’s Special Education Advisory Committee, also pointed to another letter included in the meeting’s information package, written about the same issue by representatives of the Durham District School Board. “A reduction in special education funding from your ministry for the 2001-2002 school year would mean a further reduction in the number of self-contained classes and supports to students with special needs,” states the Toronto-area board’s letter, also addressed to Ecker. “These vul­ nerable students require our sup­ port.” According to Superintendent of Education Geoff Williams, who made a presentation about the issue at the Oct. 10 meeting, the Avon Maitland board “would be looking at having about $2 million less in next year’s budget for special education,” thanks to proposed changes to the way the province decides how much money to hand out under the Intensive Support Amount (ISA) program. In recent years, the government has guaranteed ISA funding at a level established through a 1998 audit of special education needs. In the Avon Maitland board, that grant of almost $6.1 million accounted for nearly half the total, special educa­ tion funding received from the province last year. According to the letter to Ecker, under a proposed revised audit process, Avon Maitland could soon receive just less than $4 million in ISA funding. And, since the board already takes money out of other portions of its budget to offset what it sees as a shortfall in overall special education funding, such a change would leave it with a deficit of over $3 million in its efforts to serve high- needs students. ‘The fact that they change the way they decide how to identify how much funding is needed for each stu­ dent doesn’t remove the fact that we still have these high-needs students in our system,” Williams com­ plained. Families learning English through school board By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Families from two non-English speaking immigrant communities in Perth County are learning English as a Second Language (ESL) through the Avon Maitland District School Board. In the “Good News” section of the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10, superintendent of education Bill Gerth provided details about the two programs, both of which are instructed by part-time “literacy practitioners.” “We already offer ESL instruction Head checks turn up lice at BPS With school in and children having close contact with others, youngsters once again run the risk of having to deal with head lice. Blyth Public School has had to handle a few more cases than nor­ mal, but with appropriate treatment things are alright, said Principal Willie Laurie. Early detection of the tiny white mite is important and vol­ unteer parents are needed at all schools to help with head checks. While Blyth was able to do checks monthly last year, Laurie said the school needs more people. “Many hands make light work.” With just five parents volunteering, the entire school population can be checked in one day. With less, it may take two very long days to check everyone. L aurie points out that it is also very to students within our board, espe­ cially in the elementary stages, but also right through to secondary school,” Gerth explained in an inter­ view, following the meeting. “But these programs allow us to extend that to members of those communi­ ties who don’t necessarily attend school.” In one program, about 16 women and 23 pre-school children receive instruction at a Mennonite church in Poole, near Milverton. Men from the families generally work on area farms and, though Gerth explains the people are generally referred to as “Mexican Mennonites,” he’s reluc­ important for parents to check their own children, particularly older ones who are looking after their own per­ sonal hygiene. “They cannot check their own hair like parents can.” For those needing information, packages are sent home with the children, explaining the eradication procedure which includes a special­ ized shampoo and combing. The nec­ essary materials are available local pharmacies. Laurie added that vinegar is not a solution for nits. “Vinegar will loosen them, but they still must be removed.” While Blyth has the situation under control, other schools in the area have had little with which to deal. Both East Wawanosh and Brussels tant to apply the term. They do, how­ ever, speak a dialect of German as a first language. “The members of Poole Mennonite Church saw a need, and a request was made from the commu­ nity to see if there was anything we could do as a board to assist these people,” Gerth said. While funding for the Poole proj­ ect comes through established chan­ nels in Ontario’s education ministry, the other program takes advantage of a new federal government initiative called LINC: Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada. Through LINC, the Avon Maitland board pro- Public Schools were found to be clear when checked earlier this school year. East Wawanosh plans a second check this week and Brussels will not repeat until December. Hullett Central Public School reported only one or two cases and a very good parent volunteer group plans to return monthly for follow-up checks. Grey Central Public School will complete the first check this week. As a preventative measure, chil­ dren should avoid sharing hats, combs or brushes. Parents should check their children regularly and inform the school if lice are found. Information can also be obtained from the Huron County Health Unit. vides ESL instruction to 16 families who came to the Listowel area after fleeing last year’s conflict in Kosovo. Gerth says it’s an evening pro­ gram, sogjdult family members (both men and women) can be accompa­ nied by school-aged children, who already receive ESL training during Huronia Humane Society is holding PET ADOPTION DAY Sat, Oct 21 1 ~ 4 pm at K-9 Training Services (3 km. E. of Goderich, formerly Smith's Garden Centre) Come out make a friend for life! Many cats &. dogs to choose from. For MAYOR of the New Municipality of Morris-Tumberry ELECT LYNN HOY Advance Poll - November 4, 2000 Questions & Concerns? Call 357-3435 “Your support will be appreciated” Election day is November 13, 2000 school hours but may want to join their parents in the evening. “We’re very flexible about how the program operates,” Gerth said, adding that the families gather at the Community Employment Resources Centre in Listowel.