Huron Expositor, 1999-12-16, Page 14News
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, December 15, 1999-3
$io million development
threatened by school issue
Mayor tells board schools are key
for i o o -job plant to locate in Seaforth
•
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Stolt
Closing Scaforth schools
will "seriously jeopardize"
current talks with a
developer who plans an
investment of "well over $IO
million" and the creation of
over 100 johs.in Seaforth,
Mayor Dave Scott told the
Avon Maitland District
School Board last Tuesday.
"Schools arc a key criteria
to locating this plant: Is the.
board willing to pay dollar
for dollar of the economic
devastation to this
community that closing
schools will cause''" he said.
Twelve of the 16
delegations at the first of two
meetings last week devoted
by the board to hearing
delegations on the school
closure issue. spoke to
protest the possible closure'
:of the three Scaforth-area
schools. On Wednesday -
night, another six spoke
against the closure of
Scaforth .schools.
Se Ye raj speakers
representing the Seaforth
business community told
trustees and an audience of
close to 300 people that
Scaforth District High
S, huol Is a key component
in the economic health of the
town. -
JoeSteffler. of Seaforth
Business Retention and
Expansion committee told
trustees they wjll be
-directly .responsible",for
destroying the town's
Walton
devastated
its school
might
be closed
Calling Walton.Public
School "the small school
with the big heart," council •
chair, Dianne Van Vliet told
Avon Maitland trustees last
\%eco, that her.Community is
acs .t-.t:ued-hy the thoughts
10.ing their school: `
"It's not just a building of
bricks and mortar. We're
talking about people's
Ines.'. she said.
\'an Vliet listed the
community involvement at
\\atttin Public School:
including 33 volunteers. the
interchange with a local
'church. good results in cross
country and track meets and
the school's third place
showing in the district's
' Heart Hearts challenge.
"Mans of us here have
worked most of our li ves pro
the betterment of our rural
community. These are our
schools and we have a right
to have our children go to
school in our community."
shesaid.
Van, Vliet equated
\\'.rlton's 10 -sear renovation
plan of 5140,000 with.onc .
scar's wage for two board
emplosces.
She added that parents are
"quite satisfied" by the
school's multi-purpose
room. which is used as a
small gymnasium. The lack
of a gymnasium has been
listed as a reason to close
the school in the director's
rcpoln.
Walton parent Barb
Durrell asked trustees to
find more creative ways to
keep all the schools open.
"I have kids in two of the
;.hoots (listed for possible
closure) and 1 don't know
hogs you expect us to be
loyal to one school or
another," she said.
• We"re very town but
each school community will
tight long and hard for each
school." said Durrell.
By Susan Hundernnark
economy if they
close local schools
. and asked for an
innovative "win-
win" solution.
similar to the one
that saved local
hospitals.•
Hospital leaders
came together more
than a year ago and
formed a 'cost-
sharing partnership that kept
hospitals in this region open
despite threats of closure by
the Ministry of Health.
"Results of a survey we
did showed very clearly that
education and health care
keep a community viable.
The ability to offer
educational facilities attracts
new business and industry:'
he said.
He added he's very
concerned that expansions.
currently being considered
will be withdrawn if
Scaforth schools - arc closed.
A letter from Paul' Nichol
of the Huron Business
Development. Corporation in
Seaforth told trustees that
school closings "impinge
upon our community's
ability to generate economic
growth over the long term."
His letter said that while
there are signs of
revitalization with • self-
employment and new
business start-ups surpassing
provincial levels and an
influx of young families with
small children into Huron
County. the "current pressure
to close rural schools may
undermine these encouraging
,trends."
Nichol also said in his
letter that despite the.
significant economic
shortcomings oflocating
businesses in Huron County.
entrepreneurs have chosen to
do' so because of the
perception of abetter quality
of life, which includes "the,
accessibility, accountability
and proximity of local
schools.'
Parent Karen Campbell -
Taylor listed the nymber of
community groups and the
amount of time and money
they have invested in
Seaforth and told trustees of
the concerns each group.
including _.the Seaforth
Agricultural Society, Curling
Club. Optimists and Lions
Club. have about local
school closures.
She said that $16.000 to
$19, 000 is given to Seaforth
District High School
re
-
4
May
or
Dove Scott
students annually as
awards; scholarships
and bursaries and.
worried how local
schools will continue
to benefit from them
if the school. is
closed.
"Closing schools
will be creating• a
multi-million dollar
problem in this
community. Help us turn this
train of massdestruction
around. it doesn't make any
sense to destroy
communities and kill this
town," she said.
Campbell -Taylor listed the
133 commercial and
industrial operations in
Seaforth with a total
assessment of $17 million
and total taxes of $582. 807
a year.
"Imagine the amount of
money and jobs leaving
Seaforth if you close our
schools," she said.
Former SPS council chair
Lisa Campbell asked trustees
and administration to look at
the faces in the crowd to see
whose communities the
school closures would be
destroying.
"Who among you tives
here? You come to' work
here, you draw your pay
cheque here but will any of
you be affected? Not one of
the trustees or senior staff
will be directly affected by
any of the closures. Is it
really. a coincidence it's not
.happening toyour
communities?" she asked..
Campbell said trustees and
administration have
experienced so little of..
Seaforth other than "catered
luncheons" and said that
parents trying to save local
schools have been "set up to
fail by the board."
"We will not allow you to
'treat out -children like herds
of animals." she said.
SPS council chair Susan
Arts. asked the board for one
good reasion they couldn't
sit down with Seaforth
parents and come up with a
better plan.
"I •. have a hard time
believing that everything
should he axed in Seaforth
and it tends to make me
believe you have your
agenda and are trying to ram
it through," she said.
Seaforth parent Daniel
Primeau told the board that
while he left town after
graduating from Seaforth
high school, he and his wife
returned to raise their
children in town because of
its "quality schools."
He said that if local public
schools close, he'll be forced
'to send his children to 'the
Catholic system because the
board will not guarantee
Seaforth schools will not
continue to close if the
board's scenario of moving
elementary students to the
high school comes to pass.
"You are employees of
every one of us here which
puts you in a truly enviable
position since it's the only
job I've heard of where you
don't have to listen to your
boss," said Primeau.
Charles Smith, president
of the SDHS student success
.foundation, predicted that
closing Seaforth's high
school to increase enrolment
in surrounding schools will
backfire.
"The Seaforth community
is deeply angry. Many of the
high school students
expected in those. four
schools (surrounding
Seaforth) will be no-shows,"
said Smith.
"Some will drop out: some
will • switch to home
schooling. some will go to
private schools. many .will
go' to the Catholic high
schools in Clinton and
Stratford. Why would the
students and parents chose
the .old Central Huron
Secondary School when the
same bus ride would take
them to the brand new -St.
Anne's high school?" he
said. •
Smith said that by closing
SDHS, the board will'[ose
over 56,000 for each student
who choses to leave the
pubtic'system and accelerate
other high school closures
throughout the district.
"It's a horribly divisive
and self-destructive process
and what will tie left is years
of bitterness in our
communities." he told
trustees:•,
council chair
Maureen- Agar told trustees
she's insulted by the request
by the board that parent.
volunteers need to -find an'
alternate but equivalent
reduction of student spaces
and overhead costs and
alternate but equivalent
increase in revenue.
"I never really figured that
the board is so incompetent
own to find these themselves and
have to get volunteers to rind
them for them." she said:
Instead. she demanded that
on Dec. 14. the board pass a
motion to make no school
closures until June of 2002
and that administration and
non -teaching -staff take a
Church •
Services
Yat ofe invited to attend
these area Ciuurhes
SEAFORTHCOMMUNITY CHURCH
38 Goderich St. e. 527.2253
. . .Rev. Hauser
Christmas Service of Worhsip
Sun., Dec, 19th
10:45 AM
' . Sermon tine..
-Responding to Christ's Coming -
Full 9050 "nth a pentecostal message
WARM WELCOME
St. ThomasCAVANAnglican Church
Jarvis St. Seaforth
Rev. Robert Hiscox 482-7861
Sunday, Dec. 19th
Lessons & Carols
Service
at 0:30 a.m:
NORTHSIDEa
(Godench St . Seaton•) 11.60 a m
•
527 CHURCHESITEDteoon 0
Box 262: seafdM
Alasar-aare.taliam5
CnnstmasSwroay
Fellowship Hail at 1000 at NoMsoe
Sunday School during services.
nursery provided
Bethel Bible Church
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth
(lormerly Canadian Tire)
Wed . Dec. 8 O 7 p.m
Family Nghr • Adventure Out:.
Christmas Special
Sunday Dec i2
Sunday School 9 45 a m
Worship of 11.00 a m.
Pastor Rev Doug Cormreau
527 09A2
Catholic Church
Masses
Saturday • 5:15 pm
St. James Parish. Seaforth
Saturday • 7:15 pm
St. Joseph's Parish. Clinton
• Sunday - 9:00 am
St. Michael's Parish. Blyth
Sunday • 11.00 am
SI . James Parish. Seaforth
Father Dino Salvador
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
59 Goderich;St., W., Seaforth
Worship at 11:15
Sunday School during worship
Nursery Availabre
Pastor Rev. N. Vanderrney
Egmondville
United Church
Rev Judith Spnngett
Worship 11 a.m.
Sunday School
Grades 2 to 8, 10 a.m.
Nursery to Grade 1, 11 a m.
Chnstmas Eve
Service 7.30 pm
voluntary 15 per cent wage
cut to he used to operate all
schools in the district.
Agar quoted from a study
by Dr. Al Lauzon of the
University of Guelph's
school of rural extension
studies that says school
closures actually lead to
greater costs. smaller schools
and: classes have superior
performance, busing has a
detrimental effect on student
health and family life and
busing stops students from
participating . in extra-
curricular activities.
"Be . trend-setters, not
home -wreckers and look at
all other options," she told
trustrees.
Complete
Automotive Repair
"Class A Mechanic"
TIRE SALES. SERVICE & REPAIR
ARCHIE'S
Sesaice eta
400ds2erichSSt.t. E.
24 Sea ort
NORTH MIDDLESEX
Ot
SEAFORTH
CENTENAIRES
Fri., Dec, 17th
8:30 p.m.
For the month of
DECEMBER
Elementary Students
wito bring o canned
good to the game
Get In Free
")oln us upstairs at the
Bklellne Club"
Concerns on OMAFRA Changes!
The HCFA is hosting a meeting for all
sectors of Agriculture
MONDAY, DEC. 20/99
Seaforth Agriplex
9:00 am: Coffee/Registration
9:30 am:
FRANK INGRATTA
DEPUTY MINISTER OF. •
AGRICULTURE -
(4-froduc�v�
Christa Leonhardt
Registered Insurance Broker (Ont:)
Seaforth Insurance welcomes Christa
*to their staff. She is a graduate of the
Seaforth, High School and resides in
Seaforth.
_ Please contact Christafor all your
personal insurance needs. -J
• Seaforth Insurance1r-
41 Main St., Seaforth 527-1610
Broker Ltd.
MITCHELL FEED MILL INC
Hwy. #8 West of Mitchell
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Complete line of Shur -Gain Livestock Feeds & Premixes
Large supply of fresh bagged
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FREE DELiVERY 1-8006693
502
for orders of 1 Tonne or more Fax 348-8284