The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-10-07, Page 9Sebool closures still borizo
by Victoria Jackson: ,.
Although the numbers
have; changed, the result is
• still the Sammie - school elo-
suae$,
The Ministry of.
lidavation released the
' loading , numbers for
schools on Sept. 2S' to the
Avon'Maitland District
School Board f,AM3SI ),
according` to Abby
Armstrong, board chair.
Armstrong said the'
numbers would not
change the options pre-
sented to the board Sept.
22. The board originally
madeup the three lists of
.schools'to be•reviewed for
closurebased on the
excess square ,faota e
withinthe board, provided
by the ministry. Now the
board has to look at stu-
dent capacity figures, also
provided by the ministry,
"The board .lrad the
choice that they couldwait
for the loading numbers*
which would have meant
that patents. would only be
finding out about possible
closures next week, or we
could go with the infernsa-
tion we had," Armstrong
said.
In a -press release,
Armstrong _stated. "As, we
have said the square `
footage calculations were
preiiarrirrary; However,. drop
to the magnitude we imag-
ined the problem ta.be, we
needed to get busy right
away searching for solu-
tions. As a starting point,
the board used the square
footage benclunar°ica iden- .
tilled in the ministry's new
funding ;formula,"
She added that she feels
it would have been' irre-
sponsible for the board to
sit on the information they
had been' given about the
excess square footage.
"If 1 hail to do it again,:
I'd do it the' same way,"
she said. "The parents had
Ludlam Sentinel, Wednesday, ()ember 7; 1998 — Page 9
a right to know."
• . One 'of the main differ-
ences. between the figures
for student capacity and
those for quer. footage is
that the square footage
estimates showed sec-
ondary excess' space to be
a major problem, while
the n.ew estimates will
probably.. show that stu-
dent space' in elementary
schools will be a bigger .
problem, Armstrong said.
"We :have two problems
in the board One..isthe
ministry's. regulation 497,
which is basically if you
have excess space we
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aeop„I rY,aato
.i✓raug Speirs:
e ,
FS. Light re freshments'wall
r Avon board
spates. So. if Exeter con-
tinues to grow, or ,there is
a new factory opened
somewhere, we won't be
able to build it, school
there. Not just this year or
next year, but the year
after, that and the year
after that," she said. "The
other problem is the fund -
trig, ,
However, Huron MPP
HelenJohns said that there
would be no repercussions
on. the board if they did
not close any schools:
"What thegovernment
has said is that if you want
to build a new school, you
will` have to reduce the
space and eliminate the
excess capacity space."
she said. "The minister has
Said in the house that if
you don't want to build a
new school you don't have
to conte down in num-
She added that doesn't
paean there aren't reaso'
why a school. might 1
closed.
"1 see a reason for tee
board), to look et schools
in terms of health and
safety or quality of educa-
tion. concerns. If a school
is old and in need of a lot
of repair, then they could
look at that school," Johns
said.
Bruce -Grey Catholic baro
Boa:rd.rules :.
school closures�
by Pal Halpin .
Based on provincial rating eapacrty for pupil spaces,
the Bruce -Grey Catholic board. is ruling out the possi-
bility of school closures at this tithe, . .
Finance manager. Cathy Colton told the Bruce rey
Catholic School board at its . meeting Sept. 29; will
review the reeentlyrreleased enrollment and Capacity..
ratios, and make reeti mendations•w the hoard.
In Huron and Wellington counties,'that proctess has
led to recommendations -for closure of several elemen:
Lary •and. high schools. • •
"I don't think we' ll have to do anything, as drastic. as
i tbat 4. 4)4 tcrue ' CQttor said.
We've never been a board that's overbuilt facilities,
and 1 think. that's what's reflected in the capacity nuni-
bars that we received.',' , .
Figures also; show. . the .Bruce Grey Catholic board
won't get•a share of the $80 miilrori<, the province ear-
n3arked for sehgol cogstruetion projects.
"They. decided we` don't get anything for the next
three years,'] Calton said. about the fund for new. pupil
places anncdunced last week
"That didn't surprise us.','
For .the first.time, a student trustee was at the ;able, ;
for a meeting of -the Bruce..Grey -Catholic District
.School Board. '
Jim •Zettel Jr. of Sacred Heart High School in
Walkerton was sworn .in as'•the board's first student_
trustee. Zettel is looking forward to having his voice
at the board table.
"I think my role will be pretty significnnt;for Sacred
Heart High 'School, I' hope, to bring forth'sorne ideas:
tg. 'the, board of where Sacred Heart High School
speci'fically stands in its issues," Zettel said. "
-.: Peliti4sis•no stranger to Zettel, who i,s' the son, of
OECTA district president ism Zettel, After his first:
board'naeeting, arm Jr, predicted there will he :'open_;'
"ness -for-interaction between, trustees, staff, and the.,
new student trustees: •
"I was; the only persontto be nominated (from Sacred
he•said,:' "But this is something 1 really want
to do, so ,l said just.go for it,"
Zettel will have -company at .the board's next meet
ing, when Mathew Varsava .of St.• Marys: in Owen
Sound is &Worn; in as,student trustee fol" that;school; '