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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-12-09, Page 17Seaforth's high school remains free from `hit lists' for closure FROM Pagel and has had to reduce the In a multimedia Seaforth District Seconday secondary curriculum. presentation to the audience, School an elementary school. Some people said the board Baird -Jackson said the board Vice principal Rob Parr at had not adequately considered currently calculates a $2.8 SDSS said they were told last cuts that could be made to million shortfall. although week by Baird -Jackson that senior administration. that is expected to change as the school was not being Rachlis said the board is the ministry of education considered for closure. • well within provincial finalizes its figures. "We're not on any hit list," guidelines for senior staff. Promised new top -up funds he said, adding word began "We're already spending from the Ontario govemment spreading it the community within government envelopes won't take effect until next last week. He said they have for senior administration ... year, she said. In terms of always told the student body from l3 senior officials we're board cost-cutting she pointed earlier figures indicating thc down to nine, we have out the board closed two School was significantly stopped replacing staff except administrative centres in under capacity were on a temporary basis," he Stratford. misleading and the school said. "We will continue to She offered several ways was better utilized than the look at additional cost the board may reduce the board realized. (savings)." amount of operating space it Parr said news the school Rachlis said he didn't think is carrying. They include was not included in changes the hoard could cut much getting rid of classrooms that from the accommodation further. noting that the current arc especially designated for report was not a hig surprise. staff has an increased French and music as the "It's sort of what we were workload and administers a provincial formulas expects expecting." $I.9i million, a year them to operate at 100 per If no. schools arc closed. orpntzanon. cent capacity every period. according to Rachlis, there When asked if the hoard Although portables do not may he lost opportunities to would accept the province's count as operating space help students in other ways. offer of an independent under the provincial formula Perth and Huron schools efficiency expert to check the if the board can move the are facing an enrollment hoard's hooks. Rachlis said students into permanent decline. according to the province has to provide classrooms it will increase the administrative staff. The staff more information about how figures - for classroom estimates that enrollment may the study will be done and enrollment. She also decline by. 2.000 students in who will pay the cost. • suggested . closing an five years time. They pointed • "The hoard will decide unrenovated wing at Vanastra to a declining birth rate. whether to take them up on Community School after expansion of the Catholic that offer." moving Adult Education school system. growth of private and home schooling and the removal of grade 13 which will take away a substantial number of students from high schools Earlier figures, when the t creating a possible 35-40 per BY SCOTT H]Q.GLNDORIIF board began looking at the cent overcapacity. Expositor Editor issue of closing the high school last winter, indicated the school was operating at about 68 per cent of its full capacity. In they past the school was listed with three shops when •it has two and figures indicated the school's resource 'room could accommodate 30 or 40 studegs,,v4en it can, only handle 12. Parr said the most recent accommodation review has turned up a more accurate picture; one that comes more closely to an 80 per cent capacity level that the provincial Ministry of Education said is acceptable if boards are to.be entitled.to grant money for renovations and additions. . • The issue of.the accuracy of enrollment figures and whether or not they provide a true picture of the utilization of the high school have been debated between the school, board and public, throughout the spring and summer. • Parr said they have assurances the error in the figures is being made "amply clear" to the community. It has been corrected on the board's web site. Wrong enrollment figures went public in error administrators warned). Some people in the crowd questioned whether hoard projections were accurate and laughed when Baird -Jackson said statistically there is only one student produced in the system for every 10 homes.- ".Rachlis, omes.'Rachlis said he has not.yet visited all of the 60 schools in Perth and Huron counties but he made observations based on the schools he has visited. Rachlis described the schools .as clean. well- maintained. functional and "no-frills." Some schools lack washroom facilities in kindergarten spaces, he said. Some science laboratories are very contemporary while others are 40 -years out of date. he said. "I've seen magnificent gymnasiums like this one (at MDHS) and some that ,are too small." • The board can keep schools open• said Rachlis. but the cost may prevent money going to.other areas which would benefit students. "The hoard has to make knowledgeable decisions." He noted the board has had to cut hack on consultants to help with educational programs Enrollment figures have again caused ripples in the Seaforth community after erroneously suggesting Seaforth District . High School was significantly under capacity. Vice Principal, Rob Parr said the accurate figure is 75 per cent. He said board representatives came to them last week and apologized when they realized the wrong figure was used in a board report. That figure conflicted with a 75 per cent figure that appeared in the board's accommodation report released last Wednesday night (Dec. 2) a few days before a reference in a separate board report that indicates the school had below 70 per cent enrollment. Parr said board members have quickly seen how well - utilized the school is now that the Avon Maitland District School Board offices have moved there. He said board members were looking for a classroom to use to hold a meeting but couldn't find one because they were all in .use. classes to Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) in Clinton. Leasing space such as the upper floor of the LRC in Clinton or the HERC resource centre at CHSS, on at least a cost -recovery basis. was another option, she said. The school board could also increase its enrollment, according to•Baird=Jackson• by having more students from outside the Avon Maitland system take Distance - Education credit courses. "It's something that needs consideration." Sharing or swapping schools with the Catholic District School Board is another option to he studied. she said. Robertson Memorial Public School and St. Mary's Separate School in Goderich were two facilities suggested for possible cooperation between the hoards. "That's something that .has to he explored." she said. "Whether we could accomplish something with the Catholic hoard would remain to he seen. - The Avon Maitland District School Board is the lowest spending hoard in the province, she said. Residents at Wednesday's' meeting were presented with a breakdown of operating and maintenance costs for schools within the hoard. One person at the meeting. Jane Finan. said thc only, major savings would be in closing a high • school, not in closing small public schools. • "Leave these 'itty-hitty public schools (alone) that are doing a good job." Administrative staff urged people not to ignore the realities.faced by the hoard "We must not fear talking about difficult and contmversial topics." Baird - Jackson's presentation said. "If we can do so thoughtfully we can find Netter solutions." According. to figures presented at the meeting it costs $105.343 to operate Mitchell Public School every year and another $40.206 for repairs and maintenance. These figures just include the costs to keep the school open and don't reflect any teacher's salaries or program expenses. The operating cost of Upper Thames Elmentary School was listed at $168,480 with repairs and maintenance costing $77,738 a year. This does,not include a renewal cost of 8238.842. The total annual operating cost for Mitchell District High School is $255.712 with a repair and maintenance cost of $115.390 plus a renwal cost of $61.073. Grade 3 testing shows some room for growth in Huron parent with the school to help my child team.".Parsons said. She stressed that a child who scored a level I should know that just means there is room to work. "No child should be made to think 'I am a failure."' she said. BY VICTORIA JACKSON Clinton News -Record staff The results of the standardized grade threc testing from May 1998 show that there is some room for growth in Huron County schools, according to Marie Parsons. Parsons. senior principal — assistant to Superintendent of Education — elementary. said that mathematics is still an area with a real need for growth. but that would vary from school to school. She said she doesn't spend a lot of time looking at the results from other boards. "I'm more interested in figuring out how to help students move from level to level." Parsons said. The test results were grouped into four levels. Level 1 demonstrates a limited knowledge, understanding and application of skills. Level 2 demonstrates some knowledge. understanding. and application of skills. Level 3 demonstrates general knowledge. understanding and application of skills. Level 4 demonstrates thorough knowledge, understanding and application of skills. In the three areas which were tested. reading. writing and mathematics, Huron County students were above but it can be really detrimental or equal to the provincial for kids." Parsons said. "We average in levels I and 2. but sometimes underestimate how were below in both 3 and 4. personally kids take this." However Parsons said that According to Parsons. the statistically it is hard to put standard that the province is value in the results of this first using is very high and in order round of testing. to meet a level 3 provincial "The kids were not really standard, students have to ready to write a test based on a meet thc provincial standard new curriculum." she said. "In in each part of each category. some cases those kids never "In a perfect world. you'd learned this stuff. 1 would put be testing each person at the more value, pay more same time and they would attention to the next round of have learned the exact same testing." things and each student would She added that the Ministry have absorbed the material the of Education just put more same way. but that can't money into learning resources. happen." Parsons said. and the extra books to support She said that she hopes the new curriculum•only got to next year's test results will the schools this September. show a difference because the "That has no effect on the students will have started kids who already wrote the learning the new curriculum in test." she said." It's another grade two and followed it thing that makes the last test again in grade three. results somewhat invalid." "I bet two years from now Parsons said the board is you would be able to sec a big 'going to bc looking into ways difference," Parsons said. to provide support for the She added that thc test schools in their endeavors to needs to be used as a way to help students. refine the curriculum and Each school was only teaching programs. given their own results, In September, parents Parsons said. She added that received their child's scores. the Education Quality and according to Parsons. Accountability Office "Parents need to look at the (EQAO), which supervised results of their own child in the testing. wants to sans the the context of the school non -comparative nature. average and the provincial "A comparative nature can average. They need to ask be used as a media headline, themselves, what can I do as a THE HURON EXPOSITOR, DECEMBER 9, 1998-17 Seaforth's citizens of the year were presented with their awards by. Mayor Dave Scott (far left) and recreation director Marty Bedard (far right) at the Business Improvement Area's annual banquet on Nov. 28. In front, Maureen Agar received the civic service award and Joan Stewart received the humanitarian award. Teresa and Brad Finlayson received service to sports award. STEPHANIE DALE PHOTO Catholic board approves revised version of budget BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff The Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board. approved a revised budget of $30,013,182 for its current fiscal yearat its Nov.. 23 meeting in Dublin. Revenue increased by 8123.664 from the budget the hoard passed Nov. 9, superintendent of business and treasurer Gerry Thuss said,- because Ontario's education ministry subsequently "changed the grant estimates package." "The changes are a result of the recognition of special education funding outside the mitigation calculation," Thuss told trustees. To balance the ledger last week, the board increased expenditures by the same amount. This was apportioned to: salaries. $53,290: benefits. $5,210; - professional services (special , education). $52,182; and. transportation, $12.982. The board approved hiring four full-time educational assistants in committee of the whole at last week's meeting. AfANUFACTURERS•DISTRIBU7URS "DIRECT TO YOU" GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS NO GST until December 24 on every product in our store 0 FOLDING LOUNGES r HAMMOCKS ARTIFICIAL PLANTS rirP 0 STACKING CHAIRS oisk wag 0 COMPLETE SETS 0 CANDLE LAMPS IL? 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