Huron Expositor, 2000-02-16, Page 5•4
News
Jewitt and Hilgendorff photos
Having heart
The Heart and Stroke
Foundation presented two
days of heart_ building
awareness and fun with a
special heart-warming lunch
on Friday and a family
curling bonspiel on Saturday.
Bothevents were held at the
Seaforth Curling Club and
raised funds -for the Heart
and Stroke Foundation which
uses February as its month
for major promotions.
Director talks with Ecker
(QPSBA) meeting in Toronto
Education minister listens but doesn't respond and heard her admit that
to questions about rural/remote school grants • some schools will have to
close.
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor 5toff
Avon Maitland District
School Board education
director Lorne Rachlis got ..a...
'chance to .agk"Education
Minister Janet Ecker in
. person for full rural funding
at a director's conference in
Toronto last week.
But. he told trustees at last
.-'Week's meeting that he didn't
receise an answer.
•
"I was ableto have. a
couple of minutes with ,her
and asked when she was
going. to change. , the
definition of the rural and
remote .grant .so that an
obviously rural board like the
Avon Maitland cquldget full
benefit from it." he said ,-
"She nodded -that she heard
the request but didn't answer.
She definitely heard the
request again ,from us."
Rachlis said.
Because of its proximity to
LQndon.'the Avon.Maitland•
board does not qualify for.
full rural funding under -the
provincial education funding'
formula. Full rural funding'
would add. another $1 million
, approximately to the board's
annual' budget. •
Trustee Colleen Schenk
told trustees that she had also
heard Ecker speak recently at
an Ontario Public School
Board Trustees Association
Groupproposes moving
students at other schools too
From Pogo 1
open. close 10 7O survey
responses from local
• husine,sses and 260 survey
responses from• Seaforth
residents, indicating a
moderate to severe social
and economic impact if
SDHS. closes.
"We have demonstrated
the.. devastating impact
closing tfie high school
would • have -on the Seaforth
'community," said Campbell.
But, Campbell told the
, hoard the report is
incomplete and again asked
for more time. a request
which is also before the
courts in the form of a civil
• lawsuit against the board.
Alternatives presented in
the report include the
agricultural prep school. first
presented a year ago to the
hoard. Which would .'sec
urhan students boarded on
local farms while attending
school at SDHS to prepare
for university and college ,
courses' in Veterinary
medicine. agribusiness and
agricultural research.
The report estimates that
close .10 100 applicant's
would apply but that this .
program should be capped at
25 for the first semester.
generating revenue for the
board of close to`S6.000 in
"provincial grants per student.
Qthcr suggestions made
for°the elimination of -space.
include five scenarios
in -Solving schools that have
not been named" for possible
closure.. '
. The suggestion. include
moving Grades 7 and 8
students from King Lgar to
•Strat{ord Central. mosing
Clinton Public School into
the Clinton high school,
creating a 1K -OAC school,
moving Vanastra students
into Huron Centennial.
'moving Falstaff students into
Avon or Bedford public
schools and Moving Grades
7 and 8 from Victoria and
Robertson public schools
into the ..Goderich.high .
schooland closing
. Robertson.
- Campbell said the Seaforth
group chose _the schools from.
the director's
"comprehensive- holistic.
model" to 'reduce' caress
space. presented a. year ago
when the new provincial
funding formula was first.
released.
"We were told not to look
outside our school arca but
we are not responsible. in
Seaforth for the hoard's.
.4.00(1 excess spaces.. We
realize the system needs to
he cut hack. We just want
equitable sharing in .the
cuts," said Campbell.
Agriculture prep school
could bring $6,00o per student
From Pogo 1
revenue to save Seaforth
District High School. •
• The program. which
would see urban students
living on local farms while
taking agriculture -focussed
classes. to prepare for.
university courses • in:
veterinary medicine,
agribusiness and agricultural
research. is projected to
bring approximately S6.000
in •provincial education
funding per student to the
district.
"1t would have to have a
significant influx of
students. It sounds like a lot
of speculation." she says of
the I00 students estimated to
apply for the program's first
semester.
But. SDHS principal Jim
Moore says the University of
Guelph. which ha's 'been
meeting with local
organizers of the program
for Close to a year, is
"optimistic it will be very
successful."
"This program could go- •
.ahead if the school stays
open and it' would he a very include creating a
partnership , between
community colleges' early
childhood education
4pmgrams and Walton. Public
School` and seeking
sponsorship' from . local•
serfice clubs or corporations
• .by Downie Central Public
. School. • . •
• Cost-saving ideas
proposed by, McCurdy
Public School include
tendering.all of the board's
bus routes. which are now
-run partially by the hoard,
using private contractors to
clean the schools and•having
one principal oversee five or
six vice -principals in one
area.
Cost-saving ideas from
Downie Central" include
having students supply their
own school supplies. sharing
principals where geography
will allow, having parent
volunteers run the library.
recruiting parent volunteers
for janitorial and secretarial
staff, fundraising•from the
community for one half of
the school's maintenance
costs.-
. valuable addiition to• the
. school," says Moore.
He adds that .a consortium.
formed of representatives
from SDHS, the University
of Guelph and the Bluewater,
District School Board to
research and organize the -
program. ate noW in the
process of developing
registration forms for
potential. students.
-We've' gone, a
considerable way down the
road in organizing .this.
program and we're waiting.
for the decision Feb. 22 to
see if we •can go ahead with
it." he says.
Anderson says the board
might he able to explore a
lottery, similar to the Fantasy
Lottery' which generates
SI 25,000 per year for the
Huron -Perth Catholic
District School Board,
suggested by a Downie
Central parent. •
"The lottery isn't as time
sensitive as some Cit the
other things," she save
Some . other ;revenue -
generating ideas by parents
• "She said she realized that
school boards have a tough
jib to do. It's the first time 1
had heard her say that." said
Schenk.
Huron -Bruce MPP Helen
Johns has said that the Avon
Maitland District School
Board is receiving enough
provincial funding to be able
to keep all of its schools
rHave a news,"
tip?
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Huron
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THE HURON EXPOSITOR, F.bruary 16, 2000-5
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