HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-05-30, Page 10Page 10 May 30, 2007 • The Huron Expositor
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Huron -Perth Catholic board defends two systems
Letter will be sent to parents justifying two publicly -funded school systems
Stew Slater
The Huron -Perth Catholic District
School Board will send a letter to
parents and all Catholic parishes
within its jurisdiction, offering justi-
fications for the existence of two
publicly -funded English school sys-
tems in Ontario.
"We want to reassure all Catholic
school parents, teachers, students
and supporters that the 'one school
system' campaign represents the
opinions of only a small minority in
our province," states the letter.
The board's religion -neutral coun-
terpart, the Avon Maitland District
School Board, has been on record for
several years as a supporter of a
single publicly -funded school sys-
tem.
Earlier this year, in response to a
renewed effort by the Grand Erie
District School Board to lobby the
government on the issue, Avon
Maitland trustees publicly reiterat-
ed that stance.
Even high-profile federal Liberal
candidate Justin Trudeau got asked
about the issue when he visited the
Avon Maitland board's Mitchell
District High School in early May.
Trudeau dodged the question, but
he had only days earlier stirred up
some controversy by questioning the
necessity of split English and
French systems in New Brunswick.
For its part, the Huron -Perth
board has not gone public about the
issue — until now.
At a regular meeting Monday,
May 28, trustees discussed a draft
version of the 10 -paragraph letter,
signed by chair
Avon
*Mitt/Pa In our continuing effort to provide the best
�.
education possible for all of our students, we
are inviting parents of children with special
needs to participate in an on-line survey. We
want to know how you feel about the Special
Education programs and services provided by
the Avon Maitland District School Board.
Special Education Programs & Services
Parent Satisfaction Survey
Fairness
Honesty
Empathy
ResPect
Integrity
Courage
Optimism
Compassion
Perseverance
Responsibility
titivating
Character
It will only require a few minutes of your time and
will help us plan for the future.
To participate please visit our website at
www.yourschools.ca
anytime from June 1 to June 10, 2007
Please contact your school if you require access to the Internet
or have other accessibility needs in order to complete the
survey. Hard copy versions can be obtained on request.
Please contact the Avon Maitland District School Board toll free
at 1-800-592-5437 extension 121 or email: info@fc.amdsb.ca.
www.yourschools.ca
JENNY VERSTEE:.
Ron Marcy and education director
Larry Langan.
They then dir acted staff to fine-
tune the letter and send it to school
newsletters and parishes as soon as
possible.
"Our board feels it's timely for us
to continue to educate our con-
stituents ... about how we con-
tribute to education in Ontario,"
Langan told reporters following the
meeting.
For Marcy, pointing out the exis-
tence of those "constituents" is a key
element of the message.
Speaking in favour of the letter,
he pinpointed a paragraph which
states "Catholic schools .... educate
over one-third of all students in
Kindergarten to Grade 12 — more
than 670,000 students. Over a mil-
lion parents choose Catholic educa-
tion for their children. That choice
is supported by 2.4 million Catholic
ratepayers and voters and is funded
through the property, income, sales
and other taxes paid by Ontario's
Catholic community."
Another paragraph challenges the
argument that amalgamating school
boards would save money.
"Ontario went through a major
amalgamation of school boards in
1998 and most economies of scale
have now been realized. The history
of these amalgamations shows that
costs rose to the highest denomina-
tor."
The letter adds that "Catholic and
public school boards already save
taxpayers millions of dollars annu-
ally through a variety of successful
business partnerships ... (and) con-
tinue to explore other cost savings
initiatives."
St. Anne's to offer mass for parish
of closing Clinton Catholic church
Stew Slater
Parishioners from the soon -to -be -closed St.
Joseph's Catholic church in Clinton will still
have the option of gathering for a weekly
mass in the town, thanks to support from the
Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board.
In the next few weeks, St. Joseph's will join
several other places of worship in Huron
County, as a victim of the Diocese of London's
ongoing consolidation of parishes.
According to the diocese's plan, congrega-
tions in Seaforth and Goderich are being pre-
pared to welcome the Clinton parishioners.
But at a regular meeting of the school board
Monday, May 28, Northwest Huron trustee Al
McDade explained "it will be difficult for
many people to get to masses outside of
Clinton."
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McDade reported to fellow trustees about a
recent meeting between Father John Jasica,
Huron -Perth education director Larry
Langan, and St. Anne's Catholic Secondary
School principal Chris Roehrig.
At that meeting, Father Jasica committed to
providing a sound system and suitable seat-
ing for the high school's chapel, while the
board committed to enabling the parish to
host a weekly mass at the school.
Director Langan "really wanted to make
this happen," McDade said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
Langan added, "we're just helping out where
we can. We've been hit hard in this region
with the consolidation of parishes and we
want to offer our support."
Langan expects the weekly masses to begin in
July.
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