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Huron Expositor, 2001-12-19, Page 1December 19, 2001 Si (includes GST) Scott Hilgendorff photo Laura Elligsen plays Tiny Tim in Seaforth Public School's production of Scrooge, a musical 'performed by the Grades 6 though 8 classes. See Page A8 for more photos. Jordan Poppe and David Robinson, Grade 3 students at St. James School, portray shepherds in their class production of the Nativity. See Page A l3 for more photos. F IVE-SEA F OR'I II-RIJCKS t) F 1 V • Etfisf Date. Lltelital :s i , Roos CAA. lawn 1 yak t 1 1 raigialif *IV v Ay` A��E QU ANt 11'1 SIM, A LOVED Al 1ru�+ Sea4or+h allir CIBC Or 1D Canada ,= �' F e il 1 V E ..;,...vp.rt, ,,,xid,i.s... 21!01 �1 ® `, AroptA,. Aga C.;a"n'wmul BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ASSOC IATION WWV1 1 O% O!! YOUR PURCHAf1$ 1N $IAPOR N EIIi CFP Rau( December 18, 2031 Mot SAC. Rafts 30 Day...2.10% 1 Year...2.55% 5 Year...5■05% hAA a I I C Iiiliiiil • CARTIER PARTNERS FlNANCIAL SERVICES 26 Main St., Seaforth 527-2222 High school remains on closure list Trustee blames municipalities for not thinking ahead to attract industry to keep youth By Stew Slater Special to The Huron Expositor Although Listowel is one of the communities targetted by a recent "save our schools" advertising campaign bankrolled by the municipal council of Huron East, it seems unlikely the campaign will gain any support from the Avon Maitland District School Board trustee representing the Listowel area. The same could be said for groups fighting to ,save elementary schools in Goderich and Holmesville. Huron East council committed $5,000 to the campaign, which includes advertisements in such weekly newspapers as the Listowel Banner. The municipality also pleged to contribute up to $20,000 to any legal challenge, should trustees vote to close a Huron East school. But, based on comments at the board's most recent regular meeting last week, Listowel -area trustee Don Quoted 'Twenty years ago, that municipality's pleaders should have been seeking out ways to attract industries to their town, instead of letting their younger population slip away and letting their towns become retirement communities -- Trustee Don Brillinger Brillinger believes a lot more money should have been spent years ago by councils in Goderich and what is now the amalgamated Huron East, to attract industrial 'and commercial development. At last week's meeting, Huron East councillor Joe Seili appeared as a public delegation and told trustees that "closing a school has a very detrimental effect on efforts to attract new business and residents to, our communities." Nonetheless, trustees voted 7-1 to keep Seaforth District High School (SDHS) on a list for potential closure, meaning it could become the second Huron East school (after Walton Public in 2000) to close by September, 2002. Four other Huron East schools were named for potential closure in an October, 2001 staff report, but those schools were removed from last week's pared -down list. During discussions, Central and. East Huron trustee Charles Smith took issue •with statements by past -chair Wendy Anderson, who su gested current SDHS students would be better served by attending the more populous Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. "For me, this issue has never been about dollars, , it has been about providing See TRUSTEE'S, Page 2 Community still supportive says school leader'Agar By Susan Hundertmar k Expositor Staff While the Save Our Schools signs that lined the streets of Seaforth in 2000 are absent, Seaforth District High School council chair Maureen Agar says support to keep SDHS from closing is the same, if not greater this year, than during the last round of closures. "We've been there, done that. People are showing the same support, just in different ways this time," she says. Agar says she's seeing support from across Huron County during the current fight against SDHS's closure. "Huron East is realizing what's happening and all of Huron County is realizing that we're being slaughtered by school closures," she says. Agar says she's feeling hopeful that while the Avon Maitland trustees voted to include SDHS on the list of five schools to be studied for closure, three trustees voted to defer the decision until 2003. "We're hoping we can show the trustees there are logical reasons why closures aren't right or correct and don't save money," she says. At the same time, she's frustrated that the community has to make more presentations to the school board in January to convince the trustees to keep the high school open. "How many times do we have to tell them that it's going to be detrimental to our town and our businesses? It's an insult to have to do it over and over again," she says. She's angry, as well, that while SDHS is scheduled to close in the spring of 2002, Juliet and King Lear public schools in Stratford aren't scheduled to close until 2003. "There's supposed, to be a legislative review of the funding formula in September of 2003 so that might mean the Stratford schools will be able to remain open. But, it's hard to get back what you lose," she says. Agar says both the SDHS and the Seaforth Public School councils have plans about how to continue the fight to keep SDHS open but don't want to reveal them until after Christmas. "We know what we want to do but we don't want it in the paper yet. We'll be starting in the new year," she says. 5fQ1( Nr, pump AN�,rr.