HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2002-05-01, Page 11News
Breakfast
with mom
Cole Glanville, 4, eats
breakfast with his mom, Tab
at Rona Cashway where the
annual Mother's Day
Breakfast was held Saturday.
Chefs from the Seaforth
Community Hospital
Foundation prepared the
meal. Proceeds from the
event go toward hospital
foundation projects.
Fifteen schools recommended
for closure by consultant
Board stresses that even though report
was accepted, it is not a closure list
By Stew Slater
Special to The Huron Expositor
Recommendations for the
closure of 15 schools in
Huron and Perth Counties are
contained in an independent
consultant's report
commissioned by the Avon
Maitland District School
Board.
"Enrolment Analysis of the
Avon Maitland District
School Board," completed by
a London-based firm called
Urban Analysis Group,
suggests the board counter a
strong trend toward
decreasing enrolment and
empty student spaces by
closing high schools in
Seaforth and St. Marys, and
closing elementary schools
across the region but with a
stronger concentration in
Stratford, southern Perth, and
central Huron.
The 96 -page report is
referred to in a different
report, prepared by board
staff, which was approved by
trustees at a regular board
meeting Tuesday, May 8. The
staff report sets in motion a
general process for studying
the pupil accommodation
outlook -- including
community-based study
groups -- but makes no
mention of specific schools.
Under the board's
accommodation review
policy, such a study could
lead to the actual naming of
schools for prospective
closure by late this calendar
year, with a final trustee vote
taking place around February,
2002 and the earliesttclosures
taking effect in September,
2002.
"Urban Analysis Group has
been engaged to provide
impartial, accurate projected
enrolment data to inform
longer-term accommodation
planning for the next 15
years," explains the staff
report, in reference to the
consultant's study. "The staff
of the consulting firm has
demographic and planning
expertise beyond that of the
board staff. The firm has
extensive experience in
preparation of projections for
school boards and
municipalities."
According to William
Code, who described himself
as one of two principal
partners in Urban Analysis
Group, the company is
"proud of the reputation
we've had" during its school
board involvement over the
past 20 years, including in
rural areas like Middlesex
County and Haldimand-
Norfolk. Code, a professor in
urban development at the
University of Western
Ontario, attended the Avon
Maitland meeting along with
partner Harry Taylor, a
retired professor from the
same department.
Superintendent of
education Bill Gerth, who
helped write the Avon
Maitland staff report,
cautioned that the
consultant's study "is not a
blueprint for action. I can't
stress that
enough."
He noted
that about
two-thirds of
the board's
schools are
mentioned in
some way in
the consultant
group ' s
r e c o m-
mendations,
but that
doesn't mean
all of them
will be
pursued by the
board.
"I believe at
graduation requirements,
standardized testing, and
increasing expectations for
accountability combine to
make it clear that maintaining
the status quo in the number
and organization of our
schools would not be prudent
and may not be sustainable,"
the staff report states.
"It's my hope that, after I
conclude my presentation
tonight, at least a discussion
about accommodation takes
place. To not do that would
be a disservice to our
teachers and students," Gerth
said.
The following are
recommended changes in the
Urban Analysis Group's
report. The
report notes
that "some
options are
variations of
each other
(and) some
are mutually
exclusive."
Cautionary
notes are
included with
certain
options,
suggesting
they may lead
to temporary
or long-term
overcrowding
or that they
maybe a should be carried out only_in
half of -the recommendations conjunction with other
are probably not the least bit
doable for any number of
reasons," Gerth commented
in an interview.
However, he conceded
that, throughout the coining
process leading to a decision
on closure, "there's no doubt
that ... the recommendations
of the consulting group will
be considered thoroughly."
He also told trustees the staff
report "is based heavily on
the work of the external
consultant" in terms of
predicting the necessity of
facing the issue of declining
enrolment.
And no matter who makes
and studies the projections,
the prognosis isn't good.
"Declining enrolment,
increasing surplus space,
declining revenues, a large
number of small schools, a
Targe number of under-
utilized schools, a small
number of over -utilized
schools, a rigorous new
curriculum, more rigorous
Quoted
1 believe at least
a quarter or
maybe a half of
the
recommendations
are not the least
bit doable,' --
Bill Gerth,
Superintendent
of Education
least a quarter or
changes.
-- consolidation of Romeo
and Juliet elementary schools
in Stratford, to allow for the
closure of Romeo;
-- consolidation of
Colborne Central and
Victoria elementary schools
in Goderich, to allow for the
closure of Colborne;
-- consolidation of
Holmesville, Victoria and
Clinton elementary schools,
to allow for the closure of
Holmesville;
-- consolidation of
Holmesville, Victoria and
Robertson Memorial
(Goderich) to allow for the
closure of Holmesville;
-- consolidation of
secondary schools at St.
Marys, Stratford Central and
Stratford Northwestern, to
allow for the closure of St.
Marys DCVI;
-- consolidation of
secondary schools in
Seaforth and Clinton, to
allow for the closure of
Seaforth District High
School;
- - shifting Grades 7 and 8
students to F.E. Madill in
Wingham from four
elementary schools feeding
into the secondary school, to
allow for the closure of East
Wawanosh Puhlic School in
Belgrave;
- - shifting Grades 7 and 8
students to F.E. Madill in
Wingham from four
elementary schools feeding
into the secondary school. to
allow for the closure of
Brookside Public School at
R.R. 7 Lucknow;
-- shifting Grades 7 and 8
students to Central Huron in
Clinton from five elementary
schools feeding into the
secondary school, to allow
for the closure of elementary
schools in Holmesville and
Londesborough (Hullett
Central);
-- shifting of Grades 7 and
8 students to Goderich
District Collegiate Institute
from three elementary
schools, to allow for the
closure of Colburne Central
Public School;
-- closure of King Lear
Public School in Stratford.
which currently houses only
Grades 7 and 8 students who
could be accommodated at
Stratford Northwestern
Secondary School;
-- shifting Grades 7 and 8
students from Juliet Public
School in Stratford to
Stratford Central Secondary
School, to allow for the
consolidation of four
elementary schools and the
closure of either Romeo,
Shakespeare or both Stratford
schools;
-- shifting Grades 7 and 8
students to St. Marys DCVI
from three elementary
schools, to allow for the
closure of one elementary
school;
-- shifting Grades 7 and 8
students to Mitchell District
High School from two
elementary schools. to allow
for thc closure of Mitchell
Public School;
-- shifting of secondary
school students from St.
Marys DCVI to Stratford
Central and Stratford
Northwestern, shifting
elementary students from
three schools into thc vacated
DCVI building, to allow for
thc closure of Arthur
Meighcn, St. Marys Central
and South Perth Centennial
schools.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, May 1e, 2001-4
HURON I
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T£NN15 LESSONS
with Hank Dinnenbk
Tennis Instructor at Bonita Beach Tennis Club,
Bonita Springs Florida. Member of Greenhills
Tennis Club, Lambeth, Ont.
The Huron East Recreation Department will once
again be offering tennis lessons for Youth and
Adults.
EARLY BIRD - every Wednesday evening
beginning May 30, 2001 at 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Adults 16 and up, 5 lessons for $25.00.
YOUTH BEGINNER - every Thursday
moming from 9:00-10:30 a.m. for 10 weeks.
YOUTH ADVANCED - every Thursday
moming from 10:30-12 noon for 10 weeks.
All begin Thursday, June 28, 2001.
Registration Fee for the Youth Lessons will be
$40.00.
ADULT BEGINNER - every Wednesday
evening from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for 10 weeks.
ADULT ADVANCED - every Wednesday
evening from 8:00-9:30 p.m. for 10 weeks.
All begin Wednesday, July 4, 2001.
Registration Fee for the Adult Lbsson will be
$50.00.
REGISTRATION OR INFORMATION
CAN DE OBTAINED DV CALLING THE HVRON EAST
RECREATION OFFICE AT S27-1272
WE'RE OPEN...
Monday -Friday 8:30-6; Thurs. & Fri. 8:30-8
Saturday 8:30-5; Sunday 10-5
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