Huron Expositor, 2007-03-07, Page 9News
Volunteers sought to
determine value of school
to surrounding community
Stew Slater
iiiMMEMEND
The Avon Maitland District
School Board is seeking 22 individu-
als to come up with a method for
establishing the value of a school to
its surrounding community.
To be called the Generic School
Valuation Template (GSVT)
Advisory Committee, the board's
goal is to include school board
trustees (2) and staff
(10), school council rep-
resentatives (6), busi-
ness community mem-
bers (2) and municipal
politicians (2).
Following approval of
the committee at a reg-
ular meeting Tuesday,
Feb. 27, advertise-
ments will now be pub-
lished seeking volun-
teers.
The committee is a
requirement of the
provincial govern-
ment's new school clo-
sure guidelines.
Its aim must be to
create a GSVT for the
board to use when determining the
value to the community of any
school facing potential accommoda-
tion changes.
"The GSVT Advisory Committee
will advise the board on what the
generic valuation template will look
like, and when that is approved it
will then be placed in board policy
and will be considered by the local
committees associated with each of
the affected schools," explained edu-
cation director Geoff Williams.
Also at the Feb. 27 meeting,
trustees were provided with a sev-
enth draft of the board's own
revised accommodation review poli-
cy, which is being rewritten to com-
ply with the new provincial guide-
lines.
It's expected that at the board's
next meeting, March 27, final deci-
sions will be made about both the
membership in the GSVT Advisory
Committee and the final version of
the board's accommodation review
policy.
"We certainly have been through
it a lot. I wonder if anybody can do
it from memory yet," board chair
Jenny Versteeg commented, refer-
ring to the draft policy.
Interviewed after the meeting,
Williams agreed that the
pieces are falling into
place to enable to
board to begin an
accommodation review
process as early as this
spring.
It's quite possible
schools could be
named for potential
consolidation or clo-
sure at that time, with
the board planning for
two full years of public
consultation and
preparation before the
changes would take
effect.
"We've been very up-
front about that,"
Williams said, citing continuing
trends towards declining enrolment.
"It would be unrealistic to say that
things aren't going to change over
the next five ,years."
Regarding the first step - the
work of' the GSVT Advisory
Committee - Williams said this
would probably entail two or three
meetings.
"It won't be a difficult task," he
predicted, "but it may be difficult to
get the number of people we're hop-
ing to attract."
He added the board hopes it's the
start of a comprehensive process
that involves membersf the com-
munities at all steps aloe -the -way,
and ends with people feeling the
right decisions have been made.
"That may be optimistic, but
we've got to try for that."
tin led
It won't be a .
difficult task
but it may be
difficult to get
the number of
people we're
hoping to
attract,' --
Education Director
Geoff Williams
This area has much to
preserve and promote
From Page 4
to rip down gorgeous Carnegie
libraries and replace them with pre-
fabs? Yes. Does it make sense to
preserve a circa -1885 bridge when
there's another utilitarian one down
the river? For some. no.
Yet my argurnent is that this area
has much to protect, preserve and
promote. And in the long run, 1
believe, future generations will be
grateful for it, while tourists from
other parts of an overly paved and
cookie -cutter home cluttered world
will flock to Huron and Bruce
Counties and wish they, too, could.
enjoy such a lifestyle, if only their
forefathers (and mothers!) had,had
the foresight to ensure one.
The Huron Expositor • March 7, 2007 Page 9
Active kids are
unstoppable
When you start them off with a healthy, active
lifestyle, kids have more energy and self-confidence
to pursue their goals for the future.
Contact us today to get a Physical Activity Guide,
to learn about the benefits of physical activity and
sport participation, and how the new Children's
Fitness Tax Credit .can help you keep
your child moving.
For information on the
Children's Fitness Tax Credit,
call 1 800 959-8281.
Physical activity. It's for life!
healthycanadians.ca 1 800 0 -Canada (1 800 622-6232)
Canada