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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-03-19, Page 31Wednesday, March 19, 2008 TIMES -ADVOCATE 31 CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIEL CLASSIFIE Committee members discuss future of schools By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE MIDDLESEX — The future of Middlesex schools has been discussed during recent meetings of the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) for Middlesex Study Area 2. A Feb. 25 meeting was cut short by recess, while plans were made to meet again at Biddulph Central in Lucan this past Monday. Above the calls of some committee members to bring the process to a conclusion, Thames Valley District School Board trustee Sharon Peters pushed through a recess of the Feb. 25 meeting held at Plover Mills School near Belton. She suggested ARC members — including representatives of the school councils, public and busi- ness communities at five different schools — use the intervening weeks to consider what recommendations will be taken to the board from the ARC. Under the board's Capital Planning process, a recom- mendation has already been put forward by administra- tion calling for the closure of all five schools: Biddulph, Lucan Public, Leesboro (between Thorndale and Thamesford), Plover Mills and Prince Andrew. Two new schools would be built to accommodate all students. "If you are interested in opening new schools in September 2009, you are reaching the end of the time line of being able to do that," cautioned superintendent Karen Dalton, chairperson of the board's Capital Planning Co-ordinating Committee. She added both Lucan and Plover Mills are under consideration by the provincial Education Ministry for "prohibitive to repair" (PTR) status, meaning funds could be forthcoming to replace them. Without such funding, she admitted the board could face challenges carrying through a 2009 opening, but suggested the board is "very confident that PTR funding will be coming." Plover Mills school council representative James Osborne picked up on the sense of urgency, calling on the ARC members to finalize their recommendations to the board in what was originally scheduled as the com- mittee's final public consultation. He refused to support Peters' call for a recess. A stalemate of sorts had developed over the ARC's response to repeated concerns from the Prince Andrew community. Prince Andrew school council representa- tive Melanie Dodds, at an earlier meeting, had put for- ward an alternative plan to keep the Bryanston school open, alter school boundaries to the southwest, and use it to alleviate problems of capacity at Oxbow public school near Merton. Failing that, she argued at the Feb. 25 meeting, keep all Prince Andrew students together wherever they end up — instead of, as the Thames Valley staff recommen- dation suggests, splitting them between Lucan and Thorndale. Dodds received a round of applause from Prince Andrew supporters at the meeting, thanks in large part to Biddulph-area community representative Colin Haskett. At one point, breaking from the established seating arrangement, Haskett turned to face the Prince Andrew supporters and said, "I think everyone from Prince Andrew owes this woman a great deal of gratitude." Of about 50 members of the public in attendance, about a third sported blue "Prince Andrew" ribbons, and — although they weren't allowed to par- ticipate in the discussion — often applauded ARC members who offered expressions of support for the school. They also continued — as they have at past meetings — sending represen- tatives to the microphone during the public input portion of the meeting. Scott Bannister, an excavation con- tractor and Prince Andrew graduate who has been asked by the school council to help with installation of playground equip- ment, called on the ARC to support its continuation. "You won't find work orders or invoices for any of that work we've done ... These business transactions would never be noted in the ARC report because it was all donated." There were also presentations in support of building the two new schools. Samantha Bycraft, a student at the Grade 4-8 Biddulph School, said putting one new school in Lucan would eliminate the splitting of families between Biddulph and the Kindergarten -to -Grade -3 Lucan Public, as well as end the process of dropping kids off at one school before proceeding to the other with buses. There would also be a larger library, play- ground and storage facilities, and the opportunity for separate rooms for computers, a music program and a cafeteria. Presentations from Plover Mills, meanwhile, focused on laying out a welcome mat for the Bryanston commu- nity. "We are a community of smaller communities," said parent Dana Root, adding she looks forward to the con- tributions that could be made at a new Thorndale school by Bryanston -area parents — in the form of assistance with sports teams, baked goods for fundraisers, and assistance at school events. "Imagine what we can do as a team," added Plover Mills Home and School committee chair Kim Siroen. Osborne hinted at the misgivings expressed by some ARC members — that, no matter what the committee rec- ommended, the board already has its idea about what should happen. These misgivings were confirmed, to a degree, when Dalton and fellow superin- tendent Paul Tufts responded that senior staff could not, based on the analysis undertaken by administrators and inde- pendent consultants, recommend keeping Prince Andrew open after larger new schools were built. But those misgivings were also down played by Peters, who noted the final decision is up to trustees, and "nobody can say at this point what the trustees will support or will not sup- port." For his part, Osborne wondered why there would be support for a recess if ARC members believed the com- mittee's recommendations would go unheard. "If that's the feeling here, then why not just end these meetings and go home?" he asked, eliciting applause from a different section of the audience than the com- ments in support of Prince Andrew. Osborne advised making a recommendation that Prince Andrew would close, but adding to it a list of con- ditions. Those could include the Bryanston -area bound- ary lines between the two new proposed schools, as well as limitations on the amount of time spent each day on school buses. Under the board's Capital Planning process, a recommendation has already been put forward by administration calling for the closure of all five schools: Biddulph, Lucan Public, Leesboro (between Thorndale and Thamesford), Plover Mills and Prince Andrew.Two new schools would be built to accommodate all students. Schools cope with snow days By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE SEAFORTH — The win- ter of 2007-08 has shaped up as one to remember when it comes to total snowfall and stress on rooftops. But Steve Howe, com- munications manager for the Avon Maitland District School Board, has statis- tics showing it isn't the worst in memory when it comes to lost days at school. At least not yet. "They have been having some discussions around here about the number of snow days so far, but it hasn't been at the level of having to cancel Professional Development days to make up for it," Howe commented in a recent interview. That's exactly what did happen in 2003-04, when a handful of lost days — due to either fog, icy roads, or snowstorms — through November and December were followed by an unprecedented 13 at some locations just in the month of January. And January, Howe noted, was shorter than the average school month that year, due to a later -than -usual resumption of classes after Christmas holidays. "I remember we were supposed to go back to school on Jan. 6 that year," Howe said. "But, of course, we didn't because it was a snow day." Eventually, a Professional Development day was cancelled so students could at least make up one awe Gaiser ••• Kneale EXETER - 235-2420 GRAND BEND - 238-8484 CLINTON - 482-3401 instruction day from the multitude lost to inclement weather. So far in 2007-08, the highest number of days lost to weather in either county is 15, by East Wawanosh Public School in Belgrave. That's fol- lowed by Brookside Public School, south of Lucknow, at 14. And Turnberry Central Public School near Wingham has lost 13 days. "You don't like when it gets up to 13 or 14, as is the case for some of the schools," conceded Howe. At that point, administra- tors start looking at some of the school's planned non-essential activities, such as assemblies or excursions, and decide whether to cancel some. But for the most part, "we plan for it to some Business Directory REPAIRS Sewing Machine REPAIRS TO ALL MAKES Free estimates 90 day Warranty Experienced since 1952 Sew and Save Centre Ltd. 149 Downie St., Stratford Phone 271-9660 degree. You have to expect you'll lose some days if all or most of your students are bussed." Strategies used by teach- ers include sending home extra work if snowstorms are forecast, and setting up classroom websites for students to visit on snow days. Town and city schools, with a high proportion of walk-in students, tend to remain open more often. As a result, schools in St. Marys, Mitchell and Goderich have been closed just twice this year. The high school in Exeter and all Stratford city schools have remained open every day as scheduled, 760 Service Directory although the cancellation of buses to the high schools led to some dis- ruption of classes. But the weather has been poor enough in the northern third of the dis- trict for both Listowel District Secondary School and F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham to be closed five times. In general, the rural schools in the southern portion of Huron and Perth have, so far, been closed either six, seven or eight times this year. In the north, meanwhile, total snow days to date range from 10 to 15. 760 Service Directory N.C. 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