Huron Expositor, 1999-12-01, Page 118—THE HURON EXPOSITOR, December 1999
Santa arrives
with Lions Club
annual parade
Scott Hilgendorff photos
(Top) Cotton Hastings, two, and mom, Bonnie, of Brussels waves to Santa as he arrives in Seaforth at•the end
of the Seaforth Lions Club Parade. (Top, right) Amanda Ruston of Seaforth thinks hard about what she wants
to tell Santa during a visit at the Agri-Plex following the parade that was filled with clowns, children, bands,
twirlers and fun.
Committees asked to respond to scenarios
From-Pog t
anything put together here." said the representative for West
Perth. Perth South and St. Marys.
A Seaforth parent responded by yelling out, "it's not your
town."
Armstrong also responded by saying that at the six regional
public meetings. specific schools were never named for
closure.
"Patents just found out Monday and that's one day's
notice," she said.
Delegations were denied the chance to be heard last week
because a three-month trial policy. which ends today (Dec. 1),
limited delegations to the second of three meetings each
month.
Armstrong attempted to defer the decision until the next
board meeting when parents would have a chance to speak as
delegations but her motion was voted down.
The director's report recommends that Seaforth District
.High School be closed and the students dispersed to high
schools in Clinton. Mitchell, Wingham and Exeter. It also
recommends the closure of Seaforth Public School and
Walton Public School. whose students will be housed at the
Seaforth high school after renovations.
Armstrong questioned the "high and immediate renewal
_0ms:estimated at $575.000 for masonry. heating and re-
roofing at Seaforth Public School.
"A number of parents have heard other numbers. What are
the immediate costs?" she asked.
Finance superintendent Janet Baird -Jackson responded that
the masonry. heating and re -roofing are all necessary
immediately. using the figure $462.000 instead of the
S575.000 in the report.
"1 believe it needs a lot more masonry than the S70.000
estimated for masonry." she added.
Armstrong also asked why central and north Huron County
are the only areas targetted for additional school closures
during the next two years. The report identifies possibly two
school in central/north Huron for furtherstudy for potential
closure in June 2001 and possibly one school in the same area
for potential closure in June 2002.
"There is a tremendous amount of concern in my area that
everywhere we took is central Huron. I think central Huron is
feeling just a little bit picked on. Clearly this is a problem not
just generated by central Huron." she said to audience
applause.
Education director Lorne Rachlis responded that there is
"sufficient excess capacity in that district" for central Huron
to be named in the report.
Rachlis said each named school and its potential receiving
schools"will be asked'ro-farm a community -study committee
made up of no more than 15 members, including the principal
and school council president of each of the involved schools.
The committees have •been asked to respond to two
scenarios. The first assumes the school does close in June and
asks the committee to comment.on the placement of students
while listing and suggesting alternate arrangements for any
currynt community uses within the school and suggesting
transition arrangements.
The second assumes the school does not close in June. In
that scenario, the committee is asked to suggest an alternate
but equivalent reduction in the number of empty student
spaces within the area, an alternate but equivalent reduction in
overhead costs, an alternate but equivalent increase in revenue
or some combination of the above.
Armstrong also questioned the community committees
stating that parents are concerned about the committees'
composition.
"They are very wary and they have a very clear need to
have as many people as they feel comfortable with at the
meetings," she said.
Rachlis responded that it will be up to the committee to
decide if it needs additional members.
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