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Huron Expositor, 2000-01-19, Page 22 -THE HURON OXPO$$TOR. Jarawary 19, 1+000 1 News Walton parents not willing to lose school By Bonnie Gropp Blyth Ctizen Editor Their children may go to a feeder school. but Walton parents made it clear that they aren't willing to sacrifice their school to sustain another. School Council. Chair Dianne Van Vliet, one of about 100 who attended a - meeting Thursday night in Duff's United Church, hosted by the Avon Maitland District School board, admitted that the Walton and Seaforth Community Study Groups had been working hard . and working well together. However, she added, "when it comes to making a .presentation Walton Public School has gone with the option to put in a minority report and go with our own case to the board." • Walton and Seaforth are in the midst of a battle to keep their schools open. The board:- has oard,has been emphatic in its contention that money must come from somewhere and 'school closures are the only , way to maintain programs and services throughout the board'sschools. Three scenarios have been presented. The first; the one 'which shows the most significant savings even though it involves extensive renovations to the high school, would see the secondary students move to Clinton. Mitchell or possibly even Wingham and Exeter. Walton and the elementary school would close and these students 'would _move into the secondary school. Walton students may also:be able to attend Blyth. Brussels or Grey. The second scenario has SeaforthPublic School closing and the students going to the high school- Walton would remain open as a JK to Grade 5 school. The final proposal is for • Walton to close and the high. school become a Grade 7 - OAC. with' Seaforth, Public being for JK to Grade 6. In his presentation, Director of Education Lorne Rachlis attempted to explain why the hoard must consider these proposals. He noted that all the money the toard receives comes from the government. based on the number of students. Currently the board has 4.000 empty 'student places and is in a declining enrollment situation. "The government said this year we would receive SI million less, but have given us one year of stable funding. That means next September we will have S2 million less and we will have to make cuts." No savings can come' in the increase of class size as the government has capped the number of . students per • classroom. For the next two hours the administration and trustees were on the hot seat while frustrated parents. tried to gain some understanding. Brian McGavin said that should shoot the messenger, while he realized what the but slowly the fabric of rural board -was trying to do, he felt Ontario is going to .there had to be another disintegrate." answer. He wondered if the When asked where Walton board had gone to the"---pkiElperty taxes are spent, province and explained. Baird -Jackson said when the Trustee Colleen Schenk said province removed the board's the possibility of a rural ability to tax, what they did remote grant had been was leave the boards in the pursued. but AMDSB was middle between the municipal told the area was not eligible. and provincial governments. "We are apparently too close "We have no notion of. to London." assessment. It may be that the She added that she is on a taxes raised are going into provincial board which has general coffers." petitioned for change with . "Why should we educate thc regards to this. people in Toronto." one parent Rachlis said the board asked. - continues to lobby and meets Baird -Jackson responded. with ministry officials. A "The challenge is trying to get discussion with the education the ministry to recognize there min)ster in December brought is an Ontario beyond the go- little satisfaction, however. train. We have tried to "The Tories have been elected influence funding, but no one. twice to a majority is listening." government. They are doing . She added that the board is what they believe they are being penalized for earlier meant to do." • efficiency. "Internally we can't Cathrine Campbell, chair of make a difference. We need the school council at Brussels. ratepayers to say, from across wondered what would happen rural Oritano that there neods if the board ran at a deficit. to be something different." Rachlis . said to do • so is Schenk and Board Chair illegal. "The province would Abby Armstrong were centred not accept our budget and if it out by Steve Bowers. who became serious enough they asked them what as "my could replace the board with a representatives" their decision bureaucrat trustee." would be if asked now. Campbell cautioned the . Schenk expressed strong board not to make a decision feelings for the Walton school based on "an arbitrary process and a desire for every student from Queen's Park. Step back to have the best education. and think outside the box. You However. she said, "i have to are being boxed in and I don't think it's going to work for our children." Questions were brought forward regarding dialogue with the separate board, which • administration said is still being investigated. Superintendent Janet Baird- Jackson said that prior to the building of St. Anne's in Clinton, the two boards had had discussions about sharing space. "However, it was the public school supporters who spoke against it. We did it to ourselves." Grey Twp. Reeve Robin Dunbar commiserated with the board saying that the municipal politicians also know what the board has been dealing with. Citing the province as the bad guy, he said. "I don't believe we be equal and fair. My heart is with my school but we want to listen to everyone before making a decision." Armstrong• said. "1 have spent the last four 'years fighting. 1 believe in small schools. But I have to ra certain realities. 1 don believe all schools can stay open. I have an overriding concern with a high school that has an enrollment of 252 students. 1 have to ask myself are the needs of the kids I represent met in a school that small? Working from there 1look have 10 and sec what 1 can do. but l won't make a definite decision at this point. There was concern expressed over the introduction of Grades 7 and 8 into a secondary school. as well as the impact closing Walton would have op tittle 'children. Yet. while parents questioned and sometimes berated,.. there, were few solutions offered. Graeme Craig, a former trustee. said that solutions lie beyond local boards. Referring to the high number of secondary graduates in 2003 as a result of the elimination of OAC. he said. "I believe the board has an opportunity to provide • people -places for university and college distance education:I hate to take away a.desire for further education because there are only (post- secondary) spots for those with 90 per cent." Schenk noted that the boardoy is continually talking t colleges and continues to explore these types of options. - With 78 per cent ' of expenditures going to salary. Chris Lee wondered if the teachers were interested in participating in .a solution:r Stating -that Huron teache• - g were not amonthe best_paid in 'the 'province..Rachlis credited them. for their "hard - !work, and dedication in dealing with your children: If you are talking about a salary . rollback that's the- quickest way to close echo l'," He did sad• hoot e' c r. that the hoard would explore all options. • Scafonh Mayor Dave Scott • asked trustees if they dor vote in favour of closing Walton that they not sell the school. The reason is that a Plan for an agricultural program being discussed between Seaforth and the University of Guelph could mean utilizing the c uilding as a field school or t lab.• "Weare jast waiting tin this hoard to take a stand and he a leader and Walton would still have an educational facility." While the idea met with some applause. it was not welcomed by -Van Vliet. "This is a small school. perfect for primary education. That's why we love=it. 1 think it's a slap in the face for our kids to he bussed and someone else use our school." Acknowledging the efforts -of the trustees. "who don't get paid enough for this." McGavin wondered if it would he any benefit for the community to take their protest to -the province. Saying she's always an optimist, Armstrong contended that a large demonstration last.year in .Stratford brought results. "Will you be in time to save this school? i don't think so, but docs it make it any less important? We have to work together or we arc going to lose everything." Students prepare to leave local board From Pogo study group, acknuatilegeit after the meeting that his group hasn't yet come up with equal- savings to the board's option,. he said "we're still working on it. Stay tuned." As well. he said he hoped that the message presented by. parents and local businesses that the closure of the high school will create a severely negative impact on the town. will be taken seriously by the trustees.' "1'd like to convince them (trustees) that they're real arguments;' he said. Lisa Campbell and Susan Ans. members ofthe study group. told parents that results of the 'reent impact survey of town residents and businesses included responses that said parents were planning to move from the community -if the high school closes or that students will be transferred out of the Avon Maitland system. "The issue is ensuring the future of Scafonh. Contact your trustees and tell them to keep our schools open.in our town." said Campbell Walton parent Barb Durrell ,told trustees they should be pursuing the province to make the Avon Maitland board eligible for the rural and remote grant, which could add another Si million to the board's- budget, a figure trustees Armstrong and Colleen Schenk acknowleged as correct. ":That's what we should be looking at or we're going to be going through this process another two and a half more times." she said. Tuckersmith Township councillor Paul Spittal asked trustees to "weigh your options carefully and keep an open mind." stressing the negative economic impact on the newly -amalgamated municipality of Huron East if . the,.ltigh school is closed. (Seaforth, Brussels and the Townships of Tuckersmith, McKillop and Grey are in the process of amalgamating into one municipality of Huron East.) Parent Glenn Giller, who moved to the Seaforth area six years ago. said his daughter and her friends are- "so . ticked" about the possibility of having to go to. Clinton for high school that they're making plans to move to Barrie to finish high school. "Besides farm things: Seaforth produces wonderful kids. They're one of the biggest assets of the community and they're all going to split out of here and you're not going to get your six grand (S6,000 in provincial grant) a kid," he told trustees. Retailer Liz Cardno told trustees that she has built her men's wear shop entirely around meeting the needs of high school students and lay? awake at night worrying about how she will survive if the high school closes. "its students and their parents that pay my bills. Closing the high school will be devastating for myself and the rest of the retailers in Seaforth," she said. Seaforth councillor Heather Robinet asked trustees to "open your eyes wide enough to imagine this is your community and your schools that are being proposed for closure." "Then tell me honestly if school closure if the only option. Don't look at Seaforth at the easiest solution to your problem. A vote to shut down our school shuts down our community. This is about so much more than money." she said. • Mayor Dave Scott said the "For Sale" signs will go up immediately if the high school is closed with irreversible damage to Seaforth. Scott also stressed quality of life arguments, saying that 'removing the high school• from Seaforth would be very "anti -community" since it would be "removing an institution that's crucial." Parent Shirley Brooker complained that high school students are being told at school not to`taik about the closure issue. ' Another parent said her daughter in high school is very frustrated that she's not even allowed to wear her school button in class. "These kids want to save, their school but they're not even'allowed to talk about it." she said. SPS Grade 8 student Nathaniel Bakker said he's moved a lot in his life and *knows what it's like to he the "new kid." "I've felt more at home here than i have at other places. if you're the new kid. you're going to feel isolated and have a hard time concentrating. I have a lot of plans and I hope these .schools stay open." he said. Rachlis said he and Williams will be visiting SDHS students Wednesday morning to allow them an opportunity to talk about the issue. • It's a very stressful time for them and they . will imagine the worst. Even the teachers arc feeling pretty badly about this. if the closure is passed. we'll get into thc transition of talking about that," he said. • While presenting "the big picture," Rachlis said decreasing enrolment translates into a 51 million loss in revenue this year. a figure that was earlier estimated at 5600,000. "The 5600.000 was a very conservative estimate which we revised. The number came in well over 5900,000." he said. He reiterated that school closures • sac, money •in duplicated services and infrastructure and said the board .has done ever thing it can to save money. .hurt. of closing schools. "If the schools close. some time into nest fall. you'll feel better about our new location.' he \till it \ TLWEL PIOFES510\US • IITI - NAVEL SE/FORi' GIVE is NscHL 1E DEIGnrO% Asea LAIC, .; Sir!\571ETi; C\?%1w =SriirN .\ TELEmONE 15141 527.2. n2 FACT MILE (S1.4 527.27-n EMAIL 6lrydnmWnfi,s,..r. ., .".T+.RIO RE C.I.T RATIO .; w,. Complete Automotive Repair "Class A Mechanic" TIRE SALES, SERVICE & REPAIR ARCHIE'S • Sewice &mere ® 527-0881 24 Goderich St. E. Se ort GRAY INSURANCE BROKERS INC. 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