Huron Expositor, 1999-12-01, Page 18December 1,1999
51
_icludes
local weather
Wednedoy-- Iry .Mit- p few
dodos -;fir 2
lfiursdoy-M ink daily 3
_ow minus 1 •
Friday --Mainly cloudy with
stems 'sigh 9 _ow 2
Sahiwdoy-Monty cloudy with 40
per cent dxrce.ci showers -igh
• 3..aw2
• .-- = - vrr,;u)rnert •,:onodc
Trustee says board
didn't have to call cops
School board recessed meeting to call in the police
after Mayor Scott insisted the public be heard
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Stott
Seaforth Stase't Daze Scot, .,:J he
felt compelled-tk. -pesk
v,eek''. meeting .of the A% on
Distract School Boardc au.e the hoard
was not all.'a mg the Public ti, speak
His a.ticn led hr Mrd .hair V+e�
•Anderson t" have th_ :;.e L_.:; ; •
the meeting
"What 'c'u're
' undemcw•rarrc. a d..•a• .`,. S_• 7 ._
the board. before n,
"Don't hide as s, ,. ,.• •he : .r_
don't make decision- behind
doors because sou don't •!ta' e
from this communtt�
Anderson declared a recess and trustee,
Trooped from the g moa iufn at Seaforth
Distnct'High School
.Anderson said after the meeting. t?i:-t
she directed that the police he cal?:d
because --We aere challenged to .all the
ponce.-
•
tr mot e,• to 10 "
parents in the
Sc said F ,e)
- L.•.r_
n _.. _ 1.
the. ._ _ .: (
_ - . . >. ..
1• . rigt:
. ... .. '+etre_ ..._ ..._..,. ...at \cite !'.r. .. , p 4
-.ee , r _ - ".._e
.t: _ -
Soo NO, Pogo 3
he '
The rna‘, r ed
fag attr '
char:.. ,:_?..._ .._ ._.
Seofortti c'ubfk Schools Sd^rr ;NY DJ.? float was led Iridal vsth o ^tessoge
open 't a : urrently on o list the ::vc r " 0 Jisthct Schoo. Eoo••ra is StLCV+n::'r' : _ ss
- ,e-ccr' -_.n.Ctc
Keec .!e S.'looi
Seaforth Public School _parents
begin planning battle to keep school
By Suson Hundertmork
Upositc'
Inundate the school boar) s
fa% machines. tie up their
phone Tines and pack e. er- •
award 'meeting: more than !ie
Seaforth parents- at an
emergency meeting at
Seaforth Public S. h.oI were
told Monde} night
Clogged toilets
Ieod to SO -year-
old mistake
Po95 s
.4 )ook al
amalgamation
Pop.11 and
Lions Club
hosts ports
Pop• fl1
the hoard has _.'t to
know that there are more
:h1n a dozen of us upset
about this.' said past SPS.
council chair Lisa Campbell
about the proposed closures
of lratorth.Puhlt. School
ari,d Seatorth District High
�chtw+l - •
g.ung.ts� he hard t.+r
us t^' , r:.ince +k hat the board
toget^r +:
ds+h t. tile.•, _ :rt.
c+f Seator:: :2 SPS
council shall ' u.. \ 's
Arts told parent-
-. on
S: h„+l Boar.1 s i', a : t.
Seaforth's high school and
disperse the students to tour
bordering sct:s+ol.. .11,J 'hen
:•..• \'a.•VC
S,, e.h school
, : -•s't ''e the end
. sur.• in
Sea'wt^
student.
it SPS a:t.: ..'e ' students
at \\,.!.rr! 'a:.. , •:,'t fill ttie
al'
hose current_
• km PARENTS, Pogo t
Boardacceptsreport to -study
local schools for closure
By Susan Hundsrtmork
iapasrtor S!otl
.The director : a, twit report recommtriding
sesen .Aon Maitland schools.•inrfuding.alI
three Seatorth-area schools. to be studied for
possible slasure was a.iopted at last week
tletung with only two dissenting s otes
. Trustees Along .Armstrong and Vickie
Culbert noted against the motion, both stating
that their opposition was based on the fact
that parents were not gin en an opponututj to
speak before.the ‘cite was trade.
"We hale to stud) schools but I'm noting
against it because parents were'not able to
Editorial
Sometimes circumstance
leads to drastic action...
For calling
the cops,
trustees
should step
p
down
^cher tie .won. Vcitland : strc- :crcci ,cert
wouidn t et the public speak zt c :crr-..;vers,ci
meeting -cst week. they made c ^.uge --(stake
Ccifirg •tie cops on the 700 oarerrs -hers Avas
^.n ever :agger one:
The scrooi board: has set up a three-month test
'sot a` public reet'rg process in which c limited.
^umber of delegates `- r-- a public .are allowed
to speck at only one. of three board reetngs
.ecc- --crth • -
.',her _ontroversiarllst of schools slated for
oossec,e 7_:cs.,re-was to be voted on by :ccrc
mernoers t turned out oat to be one of *hose.
Meetings Nf ere the public could speak.
Armed with concerns and questions about the
list including how figures for renovations at
Seaforth'=ublic. Scnoo, seem to be inf'ateC -
parents were ignored by the board •
..'hot- only. increased the frustrations and iec the
crowd,to become „rr :rder to beheard
The board wouidr ' s'=" and ev,er'.,:
'ecessed -to call the poiice after Vtayor Dare Scor
-efused to sit quietly anc et the board make a
:ectsich thcf :ffects the fabric of this community
'-. stees ,'ickie Culbert and Abby
• .rrr.st hg were in support :f Eettirg the Public
Speak•
'rusfees are elected `O represent the public
Refusing to listen is.not ^ow that's one.
=or refusing to represent their electcrs cv 'ctlirg
-.to listen and for calling the police :r .x•-er"e
overreaction to a situation •mac• Ncs far
Congerous a cc _":- - y: :- =
resignation of --those remarnirg sever ^•z embers.
including Chair "4endy Arderscr Nhc C.uthorzec
that call
nstead of encouro rg :or^r^ _' C.17' Cr —e
• board stifled it. and :-eated c 07
resembling one found in. c Doiice state
-his new meeting system was supposed to -be
designed to "improve communication; or to the
board said.
And administration and trustees hove
repeatedly said how communication is being
'mproved
3ut what the board really.seems to be doing rs
following the philosophy that if you tell people the
same thing enough times..they'll start to believe
it • •
t
doesn't matter how many times they say it. its
hard to'see where communication is getting
better when an issue as big as listing local
schools for possible closure is voted upon at o
meeting where the public is 'stifled by- a police
presence '
hatd...n t. toihink this new_ system of
meetings was actually designed to allow the
boord to make decisions without being hassled
by the public, something they experienced in the
past:when:the. school closure issue first reared its
ugly head. .
The trial period is over for the new meeting
system
Based on last week's meeting, the board
should view it as an absolute failure --unless the
true goal was for trustees to be able to make
decisions without being answerable to the public
that elected them.
And a better approach to improving
communication needs to be token.
Coifing the cops just doesn't work that way.
Scott 4irgendorff
•
Teak: sail .Armstrong. w'hi' had indicated
the .gas before the meetulg that she would be
sotuig in favour of the list
':When there are issues of thus magnitude.
we .hould.let the delegations speak." said
Culbert. .
Trustee faggie Laprade was the only
trustee to speak in las or of the motion.
:'We ..ornaussloned the staff to do extensive
stud) for some time now and we had six
regional pubtic meetings ' Further stud)
means we're .opening the door for more
communit} input," said Laprade. ..
•—"It's insulting to think we would change
See COMMITTEES, Po.
Your community nowspap r since 1860
1