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The Citizen, 2003-05-28, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2003. Provincial group releases small schools study enough enrolment to trigger an acceptable level of service from principals, secretaries, teacher­ librarians and specialist teachers. Responding to questions from reporters, chief People for Education spokesperson Annie Kidder agreed there are times when it may be appropriate to close schools. And she conceded it may at times be appropriate to require a principal in a small school to spend some time teaching, though she cautioned that a full-time principal in every school was one recommendation of the Education Equality Task Force, headed by Dr. Mordechai Rozanski. But she defended the group’s findings that small schools tend to provide a higher quality of education, based not just on student achievement but also on the level of community involvement. “We’re not saying large schools are bad,” Kidder comifiented, but she suggested the main reason why large schools have been promoted as more effective — because it’s more cost-effective to deliver any particular program — is not valid when you consider the average cost per graduate. On that score, small schools come out ahead, she Kidder explained. “The government has chosen not to implement that recommendation, and now they’re talking, about doing part of that and doing some other things. But they’re sticking with that amount of money.” She suggested it’s wrong to use the funding amount as a starting point, because that makes it inevitable that the government will have to choose between some of the recommendations made by both Rozanski and Downey. And she called on parents to make their displeasure known. “Part of it is up to the parents, in a way. Who we need to hear from are all of the parents who have kids in small schools,” said the People for Education spokesperson. “We do have to take a last stand or we’re going to see a total change in rural and also Northern Ontario.” 6W, Please Recycle This Newspaper Her side Annie Kidder of People for Education is interviewed by Bob Montgomery during a presentation at Mornington Public School last week. (Photo submitted) By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Three women from Toronto, representing parent advocacy group People for Education, chose Mornington Central Public School, located on a country crossroads just north of Milverton, to officially release the Small Schools portion of a report based on the group’s sixth annual survey of Ontario’s schools. Before an assembly of about 10 reporters as well as officials of the Avon Maitland District School Board, a provincial Liberal candidate and the school’s principal and school council chair, the three women spoke about a media release entitled Fund'ng Formula Unfair to Ontario’s Small Schools. A full report from the People for Education survey, released annually around this time of year since 1998, is expected some time this week. Gay Stephenson, co-author of the Small Schools report along with Kathryn Blackett, said the group receives many calls from parents of children at small schools, which People for Education describes as those with fewer than 300 elementary students or 600 secondary students. She said some parents refuse to fill out the group’s survey for fear that helping label their facility as a small school might contribute to the likelihood it will be closed. “Over the last four years, school boards have been forced to close 10 below those levels of enrolment, over-all funding can more effectively be balanced. At the Avon Maitland board, where only one secondary school has more than 909 students, officials argue that providing sufficient funding requires taking money from other areas of expenditure. “The current per-pupil funding model puts small rural schools at a distinct disadvantage,” said Avon Maitland Chair Meg Westley, who hosted the event. “As a board, we must choose between subsidizing small schools to keep them open, or maintaining and enhancing educational programs throughout the district. “We shouldn’t have to make that choice.” The report acknowledges “there is additional funding for very small schools under the Small Schools Allocation,” but the criteria for qualifying, which include having less than 20 students per grade and being located a certain distance from a neighbouring school, mean that “very few schools qualify.” A number of schools within the Huron-Perth Catholic District School board apply, but the Avon Maitland board receives very little extra funding through the program. According to Westley, what’s needed is a funding initiative geared towards schools which fall between those covered by the Small Schools Allocation, and those with suggested. Kidder called on the government to “make guarantees to students, no matter where they are, no matter what size of school they attend,” for a certain level of service from principals, teacher-librarians and other specialists. She recommended a maximum of 1 1/2 hours per day on the bus for students. And she criticized the Ernie Eves government for recently hiring Dr. James Downey to come up with a $50 million Rural Education Strategy, despite the fact the Rozanski Commission delivered a wide range of recommendations about rural schools just last November. “Fifty million dollars was recommended by Rozanski for a specific purpose: ensuring each elementary school has a full-time principal, a secretary, a certain level of access to teacher-librarians,” Happy 62nd Anniversary Roy & Pearl Dolmage Residents of Huronlea, Brussels Saturday, May 31, 2003 With Love & Best Wishes from your family times as many small schools as they have large schools,” Stephenson said. Blackett added that a total of 192 schools have closed in Ontario during that time. The main problem, as stated in the Small Schools report, is that the provincial government’s educational funding formula sets out the ideal minimum number of students any school needs to trigger enough funding for a full-time principal. 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