HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1999-02-24, Page 5Board turns to parents
•
with spending'
Survey will goit►ut asking parents for input
in areas like what kind of programs are needed
IIIb' SUSAN Ill iNi1ERTNIARK
Expositor Staff
The cxtra.$I.7 million the
Flur►►n-PerthCatholic
1)islrict Schram Board
expects to gam by' the school
'.year 2000=20111 under new
pros incial funding formulas-
is"'not`all that much moincy
when- you: spread it
throughout the system: ` Saill
education director (,aetcn
Blanchette:-
But. It win atlow'ihF;board
to enhance thc'programmigg
11 atread}' has. he told
principals and school council,
representatives at a• meeting.
in (Tinton last week.
=-The meeting was held to
distribute surveys for input
on how the hoard can spend.
the new,.nutncy- to itnprose
the system.
`toot that thi,yvc•
corned on Ihc.taps and,wc're.
.gmtig. to he siyirntning. in
n►oncy.' slid B'anchctte.
:There's rneritAA) every
,single program in •the; :list
wt're',stiggesting. but
' - not going to be able to,dir it
• :rel." ,'
()nc parent suggested the "
Huron -Perth board do some'
Bullis relations fo uurnhat
percept ilii she's noticing
that Catholic schuoI hoards
' ►re receiving. extra, money at
the expense of the:puhlic.
ss stern
"There•, a wase of anti-
CatltuhctsttJ in iny.arca, with
ptt;t�lt saying.- .'yoit
Cathiolics get all the -money
while
public sch'osils are
eh;sing.' I'm ' .hearing
'muttered coinmcnts at'the
arena. .the grocery stores &MI.
at people's homes.'' she said..
.Btanchettc: tIct\nded the
"increased ttunding to -the
Huron -Perth hoard. "saying
that it's the to .et,i %pcndinft
hoard in"•the province, has
era ttronally been .an
aaessinent-poor . area
a and
., dttc, not currently offer all
.—of. the programming :the
puhtic hoard does.
"It you're at the bottom of
the pilt.'You has e to go -up."
he saki of the mess provincial
D vel()1)lntnt
-prOc('('(11ng
Town council i, taking -a--
10(4. at
aking-a-
1, 4..tt how rnuch residents of •
a new desclopment bordering .
Seattnth, should p;ty tier water.
The mose c+tmt; . in
response to a letter from Bill
. ,• :1tacl_can. a de‘eloper of. the
Bridges oI .Seaforth
suhdn ision roar the Seati►rth
(lost and Country Club. that
was =on. .otincil's Fels: 5
agenda. He expressed
.concerns in a letter to council
that new residents to the
,uhdi i ion would •he
tliseour.iged by %s.tte) rales that
.are higher there than in
Sealunh
The town's engineers. B.M.
Rets. and Associates. has t
been asked to salue the use of
tieatoith's Water :end ,ewer
t.t cities tet deselop a formula
too deterrnnunt how much
people In that subdist.stott
oultl p;»
%%nether or Aim the
de at pmeni U
water and sewer, ,till has to he
worked out.
Af:lyor 1),tse 5,•otl said it is
also an issue with lin kersnuth
Township that would hair to
be worked out . onsidettng
some • lt',►dents of
Egmontlsllle,. part tit the
township: pay for town water
and sewer u'.c
Ht said it become. I
It'd lik 11111111 is,tle'. •
luskersnulh Township is
Inooked in iestrucutnng talks
with- ,eseral arta
municipalities. a process that
has been under way rn.Ilun►n
County for more than three
cm.
n► .ort. Bill wants to
moss- ahead faster thait.the
• speeding bullet of
amalgamation.'' said lkputy
Riese William Teall,
suggesting it would hair to be.
win ktd out before any
decisions are made between
muntcrytahties to amalgamate;
it process that has literally
been taking years.
funding formulas.
The Hurrin-Perth Ward is
also ' expecting
approximately S779.000 -to
create new classrooms under
the , provincial funding
formulas hut is still going .
-.through .the process of
looking at -the needs of each.
'school's facilities and
justifying those needs ti► the:
province.
Changes. arising from the
'suiocy's first two questions
would neither cost nor. save
the hoard any money.
' The first question asks if
the hoard should continue a
student -teacher ratio in
grades 1 and 2. even though
• that) ratio is no longer
mandated hy thc prowincc.
. 'The current rcquirctne.nt
from junior kindergarten to
• grade 8 is 25-I. The number
of teachers per school would
not change. regardless of the
student-tcachct ratio.
The Second que coin asks
is the hoard `should make
changes to cone • French
Programming, • either
maintaining' the current 20
'm,itlutev per day offered in
'grades I-3 and the '40
minutes per flay offered in
grades 4-5, or changing it to
30 m'inutes a. 'day from:
grades 1-ff sir. phasing out -
'primary core French and:
only oflering',it from grades
4-8 for 40 minutes a day.
Blanchette said reducing
the, time. spent on core
French could increase the .
sariety of programming for
• students.
, Since core French is used •
tit provide 200 minutes of
teacher planning time a
week. changing it to 30
`minutes a. da.y (or 150
minutes a weckl:would leave.
5(1 'minutes -a w'eek'when
some other program could
cover teachers' planning •
time. (Teachers currently do
their • planning while
someone else teaches French.
to their class•) •
Phasing it ,out,in the
primary grades would mean.
• othe'r programs would have
• to cover teachers' planning
•
time altogether in grades 1-3.
. The survey also asks for a
ranking of programs that -
could' he' improved or
introduced with the extra
'money'. :
in the elementary level. the
eight choices include the
arts, Catholic education
programs, " design •and
technology programs, staff
training. integrated
technology (computers in the
classroom). lay chaplains,
. library programs with
librarians and science.
Of the eight choice:. the
Huron -Perth board offers
`most of the programs hut
• does not have'a design and
technology program. lay
chaplains or Iihrarrans in. the
elementary level. •
In the secondary level the
survey asks for a ranking of
the arts. Catholic education
programs, broad-based
technology (such a.
t r a n s p.o r.t a t i ii n
manufacturing ' and
construction). staff "training.
and lay chaplains.
, Currently. the Huron -Perth
board—does , not have .as
extensive a broad-based
technology program -as high
schoolsin the ,public system.
Also..one: lay chaplain
travels between the. two
secondary schoa's.
Therets also space on the
survey. to add any
suggestions for improved
:programming' that „hal
'been fisted or to' point, out-
any
uran•y programming that
should be discontinued.
Blanchette said the .board
hopes for one.completed•
,survey -.from each school'
.couneil after: a good
discussion of priorities in
each school community. but•
distributed 25 surveys in
each package.
"We hope there's a lot of
-dialogue in your community
and if an' individual realls
wants 10 fill out a stirse'..
that's okay." he laid.,
Pahicipants were given an
April 15 deadline
complete the 'survey.
Jane Taylor joins Town Hall
'Jane Taylor has
Joined. Town Hall
staff . as acting
deputy -clerk.
She will replace
Cathy Garrick who
heads on maternity
lease :tt the end of
the month.
Taylor began
working • with. Jane
Garrick on Feb. 8..
"It'll he interesting 'to .ti
exposed to,.the municipal
end of things." said Tayli,r.
Whose past experience has
,been :on the • provincial
gosemtnent side of politics.
She worked two %ears as .
outreach coordinator for thea
menmber of prosincial
parliament in Perth County.
. \With restructuring and the
number of changes that have
Taylor
• • much of her adult lite
. in London. returning to
Stratford in 1 043 when she
began•working with the
MPP -
While her esaet duttes.are
yet to bedeternuned. Tay for
• e+epects to take on many of
the roles Garrick held. such
as work with the husin;ss
retention and expansion
committee and the Seaforth
Museum committee.
been• set into motion
by the prov int al and
federal-gov ernmen t s.
she said. 'This}, an
interesting time for
me to be a part of all
this."
She comes to
Seaforth 'from
.Stratford where she
rew up. She spent
w
r<,
Seaforth Co-operative
-/�
l d t Children's Centr
hildren'sCentre
3ilDAX 1110}111OE
H!
March 15-19
Activities include:
*Cooking experiences (pancakes &
gingerbread)
* Swimming & ice skating
* Visit from.a puppeteer &
storyteller .
* Leprechaun hunt & crafts
Open to all
children • (1.199t*»
Kindergarten
through age 12.
Cyttu 515.00 per
Jay or $60.00..
for the week.
Please
pre -register by
calling 521-0682.
A Parent's comments
il1eydie Centre 1an
eu-elaent t'-. i o SInif PT
:a.ntq ,ori art„, �.
''t rAer Acte an etc -cl-
ient pAteo,;opAr on dna-
PIP( Good co►nhrrstk►►t
of dodo PiJour and ossadcyr
actnacas t trassid A
reonunenj the Centre ..
Landa Dow
4
•
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Ftrbruary 24, 1,913-5
We'II ionuioue tolook
after your eIeuricity Deeds.
As a retail customer who is ,served by Ontario Hydro.
in April; you will autornaticatly become a customer served by,.
-the new Ontario..Hydro Services Company: Its. that simple-.
The name on your electricity,bitl will change. but `you'll -
still have the same ,reliable electrical service you've 'corrme •to
. depend on. And, as'Ontario opens up to competition. that
service is expected•to: be even better.
• We're pleased to welcome you: as. a _customer'and-we'll •
continue to keep "you informed as the industry evolves. And
as always..you can'reach us at our Customer Cormrriunications
Centre. I-888-664=9376. for any -bili!'-. or service arc.
Ontario
Hydro
Services
Company
1/4
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