Board Meeting Highlights – Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Zurich and Usborne Schools to Close, 7-8's Moving to South Huron District High School
Following a lengthy discussion in Committee of the Whole Open, the Board approved, pursuant to Board Policy No. 18, Pupil Accommodation Review, that the Board implement using board funds in September 2012, with a transition process to begin in September 2011 the following:
- Locate grade 7 and 8 students from current catchment areas of Usborne Central Public School, Exeter Public School, Stephen Central Public School, Hensall Public School and Zurich Public School at South Huron District High School thereby creating a 7-12 school at this site;
- Create new attendance boundaries for South Huron District High School as a 7-12 school;
- Close Usborne Central Public School;
- Adjust the attendance boundaries for Stephen Central Public School to include Huron Park K-6 students;
- Maintain Stephen Central Public School as a K-6 school;
- Adjust the attendance boundaries for Exeter Public School to include the former attendance boundaries of Usborne Central Public School and exclude Huron Park;
- Maintain Exeter Public School as a K-6 school;
- Close Zurich Public School;
- Adjust the current attendance boundaries for Hensall Public School to include the former boundaries for Zurich Public School K-6;
- Maintain Hensall Public School as a K-6 school and a regional Special Education site; and
- Staff to bring specifics of boundary adjustments referred to in this motion to the Board of Trustees no later than the first board meeting in September 2011.
Board Votes to Close Brussels Public School
Following considerable discussion regarding the Huron East area of the HENP Review, the Board approved pursuant to Board Policy No. 18, Pupil Accommodation Review, begin the transition in September 2011, and that effective September 2012 that the Board take the following action:
- Close Brussels Public School;
- Combine the attendance boundaries for Grey Central Public School and Brussels Public School and maintain Grey Central Public School as K-6;
- Modify the attendance boundary for the new North Huron school and the Grade 7 and 8 program at FEMSS to include students who reside in Morris Township;
- Modify the attendance boundary for the Grade 7 and 8 program at FEMSS to align with the Grade 9-12 FEMSS attendance boundary;
- Modify the attendance boundary for Grade 7 and 8 at Elma Twp Public School to include students from Grey Twp who attend LDSS;
- Staff to bring specifics of boundary adjustments referred to in this motion to the Board of Trustees no later than the first board meeting in September 2011.
New School for North Perth if Funding Available
Following discussion in Committee of the Whole Open, the Board approved the following in regard to North Perth: that the Avon Maitland District School Board, pursuant to Board Policy No. 18, Pupil Accommodation Review,
- Pursue Ministry of Education funding to create a new K-8 school in North Perth and if funding is received no later than June 30, 2011 proceed with the following changes;
- Upon determination that adequate funding has been guaranteed by the Ministry of Education, and/or funds exist in the board’s reserves and annual Renewal Grant funds, for the proposed changes below, initiate a transition process to facilitate the changes recommended herein;
- Close Listowel Central Public School and Wallace Public School;
- Combine the modified attendance boundaries of Listowel Central Public School and Wallace Public School to create one attendance boundary for the new North Perth school;
- Expand its attendance boundary of Listowel Eastdale Public School to include some students currently attending Listowel Central Public School;
- Staff to bring specifics of boundary adjustments referred to in this motion to the Board of Trustees no later than the first board meeting in September 2011.
If funding is not forthcoming from the Ministry, the school accommodation in North Perth would remain as is for at least five years.
Chair Versteeg Impressed by Tour of Little Falls
Board Chair Jenny Versteeg shared with Trustees how impressed she was with the new school in St. Marys. Little Falls Public School is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in October 2010. Chair Versteeg toured the site last Friday and was very pleased with the school's progress and the educational experience that will be presented to students when the school opens in the fall.
Future Board Meetings (at Education Centre unless otherwise noted)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 – 7:00 p.m. Special Board Meeting
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 – 5:00 p.m. Committee of the Whole, Open Session, 7:00 p.m. Committee of the Whole, Closed Session, 8:00 p.m. Regular Board Session
Future Meetings/Events with Trustee Representation (at Education Centre unless otherwise noted)
District Leaders’ Day: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – 8:30 a.m.
SEAC: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 – 4:00 p.m.
AODA: Thursday, September 16, 2010 – 4:00 p.m.
School Council Chairs: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 6:30 p.m.
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Seems as though all those community meetings didn't amount to much. Makes you wonder how much they listen... Probably won't even approve this comment.
I am not sure I understand the purpose of closing Central and Wallace in order to build one bigger school for both. There is no where in town that would allow enough space for this, which means kids have to be bussed. Most people live in town in order to avoid having there kids on the buss. Not to mention the added expense of bussing. There is nothing wrong with these two except for size, so lets close two perfectly fine buildings and build a brand new one cause thats is good for the budget?????
So......you've decided to close Zurich Public School. My husband has been teaching there for 39 years......now what the h----
is he going to do?
Heather Redick
First thing Wednesday Morning my husband and I decided to take our daughter out of Zurich Public and over to St. Boniface
It was a very easy decision. She will still be able to walk to school, take part in after school activities , But most important she will NOT HAVE TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL in grade 7. Not one parent I have talked to wants their child in that environment but you people would not listen. I have had 3 children in South Huron and the Peer Pressures there are really scarey. But what do regular parents know, apparently NOTHING.. you must know you are not only losing children to other schools but along with it the ALMIGHTY TAX DOLLARS. Zurich Public School , the teachers and support staff are absolutely fantastic and we thank them all for everything they have done for all my children over the past 15 years.
And I really do think we will not the only ones making this decision.
Dear Shelley
Thank you for your comments. We appreciate that many parents have expressed concerns over the placement of Grade 7and 8 students in the secondary school setting. The trustees carefully weighed these concerns against the demonstrate educational benefits associated with Grade 7-12 schools, not only in this board, but across this province. While the trustees are aware that members of the Zurich community did not wish to have their children bussed to a school outside of the community they also had to consider the overall impacts of maintaining an overly small school on the education of students from across the district. The decision to close Zurich Public School was not an easy one, nor was it made lightly. It was made in the best interest of the education of all students in the district, including those at Zurich Public School.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
Hello Heather,
Your husband will be assigned to teach in another school in the Bluewater/South Huron area. In all likelihood he will follow the students of Zurich Public School to either Hensall PS or the Grade 7and 8 program at SHDHS. The staffing process in the event of a school closures has been developed in conjunction with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario to ensure that staff are treated fairly. Teaching staff also have the option of applying for voluntary transfers to other schools at which they would like to teach.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
Hello Tricia:
We are sorry that you feel the way you do regarding the public ARC meetings. I can assure you that all of that input was considered by the trustees as they examined the various options for addressing the accommodation issues in the Bluewater/South Huron area. There were many factors to consider and the final decision was not an easy one. Trustees believe that their motion will provide for the best possible education for the students of this area for the long term. They also believe that the decision that was made addresses the education and financial needs of the whole district. The staff will be working closely with the community as the changes are implemented to ensure student and parent concerns are addressed - we want the changes to result in a successful education for our students.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
So what was the purpose of all the meetings? You DIDN'T listen to the public and our concerns of our 11-12 yr old children going into the high school! South Huron High School has not only drug, and drinking issues but a high pregnancy rate. My husband and I will be looking into other schools before I willing send my children to SHDHS in grade 7. Sending grade 7 and 8 kids to the High School worked so well in Stratford, kids got a head start on drinking and smoking at 12-13, and right now the pregnancy rate at South Huron is at an all time high. Glad to know the Avon Maitland school board did not listen to the parents concerns at all. What a poor excuse for a school board.
Hello Shari:
Thank you for your comment. There are two main reasons for considering the replacement of Listowel Central and Wallace Public Schools. The first relates to the overall condition of those buildings. Both of these buildings will require extensive repairs and upgrades within the next 10 years. The combined cost of these upgrades is projected to be in excess of 50% of the cost of building a new facility and a new facility would avoid future upgrade costs for at least 15 years after it was built. The second reason is related to the enrollment at these two buildings. Listowel Central and Listowel Eastdale are both projected to increase their enrollments over the next 10 years. Based on the space demands of Full Day Early Learning, projected enrollment growth, Listowel Central would likely require an addition or we would have to look at busing students to utilize the empty spaces at Wallace PS. An addition at Listowel Central is problematic due to the size of the property and one could argue that it may be "throwing good money after bad" because of the state and age of the building. That leaves us with busing students out of town to a building that has similar issues with age and condition. Creation of a new school to serve the students of these two schools is a long term solution that will provide better learning facilities for students.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
I am totally floored and still in shock about the decision the Trustees made closing BPS - a town school - compared to a country school. Did you not hear the public when we spoke? Losing a town school is a huge loss in a community such as ours and it is very, very disheartening.
If the only reason you kept Grey open is for the enviromental grounds, i am wondering why you are polluting the air with all the extra buses required to bus these students to the required schools - this does not make sense at all.
Nothing makes sense here at all - town water and sewer - enough greeen space - WALKING to school - the list is endless.
AND BPS was not even to be in the review at all!
So i thank you for disrupting our community, breaking our hearts and pitting one community against another - you should be proud!
Hello,
I was totally shocked to see that you have thought it was a good idea to close this school. First of all Brussels school is a great wonderful, small school that is running at a awesome classroom size. Children can walk, and feel safe, and it is even a one way street. Now my children have gone to both Grey, and Brussels; Let me tell you, Brussels is a afar nicer, easier school to get a education in. The teachers and principal actually listen to you, and try to work with you when you have concerns when it comes to your children and there needs.
Busing is not something that is a problem here at Brussels. When they come in they are let off the buses right away. NO WAITING ON THE BUS. At Grey you have to sit on the bus until the bell rings. Do you know what it is like? There are so many things that the board has over looked in saying close Brussels. It is just not right or fair. Grey is losing students, and you want to keep it open so you can bus students to it, make longer bus rides, and frustrate students, parents, as well communities. Just not right.!
I request clarification with regard to the Board Meeting Highlights pertaining to a New School for North Perth.
The highlights indicate that the changes (i.e. closure of Listowel Central and Wallace, new North Perth school) proceed as follows:
"Upon determination that adequate funding has been guaranteed by the Ministry of Education, and/or funds exist in the board’s reserves and annual Renewal Grant funds."
The reference to the Board's own reserves/grants is a new phrase that has just been added. It suggests that the Board would proceed (from their own funds assuming available), even if the Ministry does NOT provide any funding. Yet the highlights then conclude:
"If funding is not forthcoming from the Ministry, the school accommodation in North Perth would remain as is for at least five years."
Can you provide clarification of this issue? If funding is NOT forthcoming from the Ministry, can the Board still proceed with a new North Perth school (from its own reserves/grants, assuming available)? I received reassurances that the Board would not go ahead with a new school if Ministry funding could not be obtained.
Also, it is my understanding that there is a need for the Board to indicate that there is support for the new school in the community in order for the Board to try to get the funding for a new build. Now that the Board has voted to go ahead and try to get the funding, what is the mechanism or process that will be followed to determine the level of support in the community for the funding application?
Thank you for your consideration.
Hello Candice:
Thank you for you comments. We appreciate that many parents have expressed concerns over the placement of Grade 7and 8 students in the secondary school setting. The trustees carefully weighed these concerns against the demonstrate educational benefits associated with Grade 7-12 schools, not only in this board, but across this province. We appreciate that parents have the right to make a choice of where to send their child for school. Having said that, the staff and trustees believe that the decision made was the right one for the education needs of the students in the Bluewater/South Huron area.
Hello Denelle:
Thank you for your comments. We are pleased that you have enjoyed having your children at Brussels PS. Your comments speak highly of the professionalism and commitment from staff we expect in all of our schools. I am sorry that you may have had some difficulties at Grey Central in the past but I can assure you we will work with you to address your concerns in the future.
The decision to close Brussels PS was not an easy one. The trustees considered many factors when making their decision including the education needs of the children, the condition of the buildings, the space available for expansion (if necessary), and the costs of potential additions to the existing buildings. The trustees believe that the decision to close Brussels is in the best interests of the students and the board for the long term. Staff will work very hard with the community to make this transition a positive one for all students involved.
Thank you for sharing your concerns.
Hello Heather:
The board would not have sufficient financial resources within its own budget or reserves to proceed with the construction of a new school. Ministry capital funding will be required for this recommendation to go forward.
The board is not required to "gauge" community support in any formal fashion beyond what has already been done through the ARC process. In that process the possibility of a new school in North Perth was discussed and the Majority Report did included statements showing support for a reconfiguration of schools in the future. All information related to the ARC process, Board minutes, delegations and responses has been shared with the Ministry of Education Capital Branch. They will be making a decision on funding based on the information cited above.
Well, well, well...the squeaky wheel sega wins again. Not really fair is it? I don't think that this should be a good example to teach our children. I am going to let you know that I am so angry at your decision to close Brussels Public School. My children attended this school. They are all grown up and now my grandchildren are attending this school.
WE chose to live in Brussels where our kids could walk to school. Rural children that live in the country CHOOSE to live in the country and they are well aware that they will be bused to a school anywhere it may be.
I don't understand how a committee of people like you who honestly don't care what happens to people (as long it doesn't affect them or their families), can make a decision to close a school in a village like Brussels. To be honest? I was ignorant to people with physical disabilities as it didn't affect me until my son-in-law was hurt and now permanently in a wheelchair. Now, I totally think about accessibility and how my son-in-law feels. Now, put yourselfs and your children or your grandchildren into OUR SHOES. You have been told that your school is closing. How would you feel?
Please think of others and their feelings when making decisions. You are totally controlling our lives and ruining them by doing this. Your comments that your decision is based on the children and what is best for them....I DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR ONE MINUTE!!!! WE are the parents and grandparents of our children and WE know what is best for them, not you.
You have destroyed and I MEAN DESTROYED a community, now SPLIT IN HALF. After words being said, it is like trying to put toothpaste back in its tube. JUST CAN'T TAKE IT BACK!!!
If you are too PROUD to change your minds, I would then hope you will be changing the name of the school that is still going to be open just like Goderich did. Victoria going to Robertson is now called GODERICH PUBLIC.
It is SO INTERESTING how this process went. The media kept saying that Brussels was going to stay open even on the day that the decision was made. How do they get that information? Is it a way to be blindsided so we would keep quiet? I was involved in another closing of a school years ago and our school was on the chopping block. At the final meeting of decsion, another school that was hardly mentioned, got the axe.
Brussels is a humble and fair place to live. We followed the rules and regulations that were given to us to plea our case. I just wish I had of did more actions that we thought would not be accepted. I just can't believe it!!! EVERYONE NEEDS TO PLAY FAIR!!!!!! TIME WILL PASS, HOPEFULLY HEAL....BUT, THERE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A GIGANTIC SCAR!!!!
Evening,
I was disappointed to hear that BPS will be closing its doors. I was fortunate enough to attend this school as were many family members and friends. I find myself asking the question.... "Why is it better to take all kids from a village and bus them to another school?" Not only the travel time, but what about in the winter when the roads are bad? We all know how Huron County weather can be. Also what about the JK students that are new to this all and their parents? Will puttiing them on a bus for half and hour to an hour make this transition easier on them?
With this being said above, forget about the school itself and think of the entire community? What will this do to Brussels? I have since left Brussels but have been torn between returning or staying in the city. I think it is safe to say that with no school there is no cause for a family to relocate to Brussels. So give yourself a round of applause for Killing a Beautiful Village!
In Closing, I think and I know I am not alone, it's time, high time............. For a NEW board!
For all the schools closing. I feel that the board is not looking to what costs are for the future. Most of Brussels Public kids were able to walk to school(saving on costs) now with them moving to grey you are wasting tax dollars to bus kids to a country school in the middle of nowhere. Why are you all not thinking from 20 years from now? Not only are you wasting tax payers money on gas your also adding more toxins to our enviroment so you can send kids to a school with a marsh for enviroment learning? Grey kids were already being bused, so your not spending any extra money to bus them elsewhere. Just build a super school to include all the small towns and keep ppl that know each other together.. research shows that uprooting children from an enviroment that they are used to, takes time to get back in to the groove of things(hence why you changed the breaks and lunches)
As for Listowel now.. if you are going to build a school to combine central and wallace.. you mise well just throw in Eastdale too... you know 5 years down the road that's what your trustees will do anyways.. who the heck votes these trustees in anyways? Do the tax payers have a choice on this? I wish i had a choice for my children to go to a french immersion school but living in perth county they'd have to go all the way to stratford! So maybe these super school are a good thing because they may offer more choices.. but a central location for kids to walk is key. Wasting money and not thinking about 20 years in advanced is a waste of my tax money.. it makes me want to consider taking my kid to a different board all together..
Obviously as a Brussels parent, I am angered by the verdict handed down to the students of Brussels Public. The media continues to say that these closures are a result of declining enrollment. Which I guess in a round about way applies to Brussels. Apparently because we have the student numbers, it's our job to fill up the school with declining enrollment. I fail to see the logic in this. It disturbs me that on various occassions the trustees have said "it's about the children, money and numbers are a small component to our decision making process". Meanwhile, when the decision was made one trustee clearly said for him "keeping Grey open costs them nothing" Well it's costing the village of Brussels everything! But we knew all along it was about the money and numbers. Another trustee mentioned that she based her decision for keeping Grey open was because she felt "every child needs to learning a little about farming". WHAT???? This is a rural village in Huron County, complete with fields surrounding it, sales barns, and guess what we also have "country kids" that attend our school. In all honesty I'm not sure what the learning grounds and farming have to do with one and other. Another thing that is completely unacceptable is the actions of some of the trustees during meetings, one painted her nails, another put her head on the table for a whole meeting, seriously you are in charge of my child's future so a least you could have acted as though you care about my child! Two trustees were visiably undecided which way to vote, you could see them hesitate, but I guess again my child isin't important enough to fight for, so to get the decision over with you just raised you hand, right?!? I wonder what would happen if a full school in Stratford was closed and was to bused to an outside school to learn about the environment and fill up its declining student numbers. Hmmmm.....I really doubt that scenario would have played out. Also there has been talk that a person showed trustees a document that was private property (papers owned by the school board) that possibly could have swayed a vote or two. I'm not sure how they obtained them or what was done about it, but you can't tell me that was "playing" fair. But nothing in this entire process was fair to the people of Brussels, was it? Our kids almost 100% head to Wingham for highschool, yet we weren't included in the North Huron review in the first place, didn't leave us with much of a chance for options, but again that was probably the plan all along. I really hope the community of Brussels can heal after being treated unfairly, and been handed a life sentence that had no logical facts behind it.
I want to respond to this posting, as it is similar in structure to several emails trustees have received. Like the other emails, this posting takes things that happened, and changes them slightly - until there are a number of items that need to be sorted out - or do they?
1.The writer implies that trustees closed Brussels due to declining enrolment at the school. this isn't true. Brussels actually is very near capacity. The problem is that the capacity of the school is too small to meet the requirements of the twenty-first century education.
2. The writer implies the decision wasn't about children. It was, but the reality is we need to be good stewards of the resources we are given in order to serve them.
3. I did mention the learning grounds as providing a good basic knowledge for future woodlot owners, but I never suggested farming as a suitable curriculum in elementary schools.
4. Trustees are aware that there are rural children currently attending Brussels
5. I certainly don't remember anyone putting on nail polish at a meeting
6. Neither do I remember anyone laying their head on the table for an entire meeting
7. Trustees do care about children
8. I'm not sure the board has "private property" such as you describe. There was a set of plans that came forward that showed the cost of an addition at Grey might be less costly than originally thought. In the end, the original numbers were used. I think that having correct information in front of trustees is indeed playing fair - and it was good of the community to come forward with facts.
9. I think the trustees did their best to provide a fair process to the Brussels School community.
10. The conclusion of the North Huron Review came as a result of a school-year long review in that community. The results were far different than what anyone thought was possible at the beginning. When it was decided to consider Brussels for possible closure last fall, the relationship that Brussels has with Madill was recognized, and staff suggested that the Brussels children could go to the new school. This idea was turned down by the community very early in the process.
11. I too hope that Brussels will adjust to the new school figuration. However, I do not feel that this change is a "life sentence", but the sort of thing that happens as times and needs change. I think that much of how they adapt will have to do with simply acknowledging that what they are going through is actually part of a grief process.
By way of a longer explanation of what I mean, as a group of trustees we have all watched the effect of school closures in various communities in Huron and Perth. The majority of us have now have an intimate involvement in school closures in our own communities. We recognize it is an incredibly intense time for everyone involved as we work through an accommodation review. Last year we recognized the emotion that the communities go through as actually being grief, and started to compare what we saw to The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as the five stages of grief, which was first introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. Kübler-Ross describes, in five discrete stages, a process by which people deal with grief and tragedy, especially when diagnosed with a terminal illness or catastrophic loss. In addition to this, her book brought mainstream awareness to the sensitivity required for better treatment of individuals who are dealing with a fatal disease.
At first it seems wrong to consider the loss of a school in a community to the loss of a loved one. In fact, I am not really comfortable with it now, but the stages Elisabeth Kübler-Ross describes are evident in both individuals and communities as we go through the accommodation review process. It is worth looking at the stages – which according to Kübler-Ross can happen in any order, may be repeated, and last for varying lengths of time – in order to consider what our communities are going through. She recognized these five stages as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Like people, school communities may find that they had a misdiagnosis, or go into remission of sorts, and an accommodation review has not resulted in the closure of their school. However, Kübler-Ross has described the full process of the loss of a school to a community well. It is easy to see how the situation becomes more complicated when we realize people who are just finding out about the circumstances are also just starting through their own grief process.
This is where I find myself now, in addressing the concerns of the community. I recognize the above stages in many of the emails I receive – and the pain behind both them, and the posting I am responding to. I go from letter to letter, sometimes recognizing the sender’s name, and try to decide how to deal with the denial, or the anger, or what ever seems to be the concern. I do feel it best to provide correct facts in my answers. Occasionally, I get some facts messed up and that requires a few more emails to straighten out – but I think that maintaining communication when individuals want to communicate is essential to moving our communities through the grieving process. I don’t think there really is a right thing for me to say – but I do think it is important for me to respond, doing my best to understand where the community is in the process of working through the grief of losing a school.
Sincerely,
Jenny Versteeg,
Trustee North Perth
Chair AMDSB
Amber:
Thank you for your note.
In response to your first point regarding Grey and Brussels Public Schools, the board did consider the costs of transportation. Because we are able to reconfigure existing routes, the net difference in costs is approximately the cost of one bus. These costs will be offset by reductions in staffing costs, and as such we are being careful stewards of the tax payer dollars. The consolidation of Brussels at Grey Central will see the least disruption to students of the possible options in Huron East. Students K-6 from Brussels will move as a group to Grey except for those students in Morris Twp. The Morris Twp students will join their Morris/Turnberry counterparts at the new school in North Huron. This will also save dollars on busing as these students will be able to ride existing buses. The congregation of grade 7 and 8 students at FEMSS or Elma will have students with the same peer group that they would have had in Grade 9 - just two years earlier.
Your second point relates to the inclusion of Listowel Eastdale in the proposed new school in North Perth. Staff did not recommend its inclusion for two reasons. First, Listowel Eastdale is for all intents and purposes a new school and the Ministry of Education would not fund its inclusion in this project because of that fact. Second, the combination of the three schools creates a student population of over 800 students which has been shown to be too large for an effective elementary school. The resulting schools, if funding is forthcoming, will have approximately 480 and 370 students which research has shown is more conducive to effective education.
I hope this information helps to address your concerns.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
With all due respect Mike Ash,
The Trustees do not know what is best for our children.
The trustees did not listen to what the parents and community members have said.If they had they would have rejected the staff proposal and come up with a better solution.
I do understand why Zurich was included in this process,we are part of the Avon Maitland School Board and as all schools we were eventually going to end up fighting.
That sounds so sad doesn't it.We pay our taxes and we vote like good little citizens and again those we put in charge blatantly ignore us.
Lets face the facts here,the trustees are placed in their positions as representatives of the parents and taxpayers,to make decisions and take care of our schools.At which point did they 1)Start working for the board and 2)Stop listening to the people they are really supposed to be working for?
I will never believe that sending my children to high school in grade 7/8 is the right thing to do.My son will be heading off to South Huron for grade 9 this September and he is having a hard time with that.We all did.Grade nine is scary.He would never have adjusted if he were to go in grade 7.Some kids will do wonderfully,he would not.
I moved to a small town so my kids could benefit from the school here.I grew up in London I would have been going to a high school at 11 also.Boy am I glad my parents moved up here.I'm sure I would have grown up much faster had we stayed.
Thanks mom.
Don't get me wrong here,I went to SHDHS.I am a proud Cougar.I am excited to see my kids go there and have some of the same teachers.I also know that while 90% of the kids are fantastic and good kids,I personally knew some that were not.We had guys that preyed on the young ones. The trustees,and perhaps yourself,feel that its up to the parents to know what our kids are up to.Hard to do when ...wait for it...you have them longer than we do!From 8 am til 4 pm they are in your care.Not ours.Can't tell me they don't socialize on the bus.
I might have been convinced however if our children were actually going to benefit from the "specialized teachers "you claim they will have.
What an insult to our hard working teachers that statement is.
You never even tried to convince the parents about what curriculum the kids were going to get, just what they could get. I then asked you if they were actually going to get to use the music room or art room or shop class,you said it was your experience that no, actually they didn't.
Great argument there.Can't wait to send my kids there.
Rip our kids out of their home schools plunk them into a setting for potential disaster and nope they won't get any better opportunities for learning.That sounds Awesome!.
This whole Arc process is flawed.You made us jump through hoops when all along the trustees already had their plans made.Oh yes,we know they did.Mr Wagler told parents to "get used to it" "it's going to happen" would have been nice to get THAT on tape.
You said it was a hard decision but we all know that is again false.There was no hesitation on the trustees part.They were well prepared,they played their parts well. The trustee who cried,she should win an Oscar.What a performance.
They also choose to close our school.Again a community will be torn apart.They could have chosen to close a country school,but no.Now our community is forced to choose alternate options for their child's schooling.We will always remain a strong community,we have close relationships with all our parents,Despite having to change schools we will all still stay close.
You underestimated us.Yes some will follow along and do as you please but you were warned.You will lose many students from the AMDSB.We do have options,you will lose money.
I hope that you sleep well Mr and Mrs Trustee.I hope that your big fat paychecks, Mr and Mrs Board member help you forget that you have destroyed communities in your wake.
Try perhaps next time to remember who you really work for.
Find better solutions,closing schools and tearing communities apart is not
my preferred option.
I could just go on and on.Most parents feel betrayed by their trustees and despite Mrs Versteegs wonderful lecture on grieving,We are not in denial.We are not angry,we are furious.We will not bargain.We are not depressed,we are determined.We will not forget, we will not accept.We will do what is best for our families,because you have not.
See you at the next ARC meeting,who's on the chopping block next?
Sincerely
Christina McAdams
Hello Christina
Thank you for your follow up note. I would like to clarify that the trustees do not work for the board, they are the board. They are the governing body that employs staff to fulfill legislative requirements from the Ministry of Education. It appears in your note that you are confusing central office staff with the Board of Trustees. The central office staff report to the Director of Education who, in turn, reports to the trustees.
We understand that you, and other parents, disagree with the decision to place Grade 7 and 8 students at SHDHS. On that point it appears that we must disagree. Our local experience and that of other school boards indicates that 7-12 schools work and work well. I invited you to listen to Dr. Jean Hewitt who is considered an expert in this area and recently presented information to the Board. You can listen to some of her comments by selecting this link: http://bit.ly/9ahA8y.
It is true that students will socialize on the bus. It is also true that during the school day grade 7 and 8 students will be supervised by their teachers. They are not on an individualized rotary schedule like secondary students, they travel as a group to their respective classes. We do have very hard working teachers in all of our schools but not all of these teachers have a specialized background for teaching language arts, mathematics and science. Elementary teachers without the specialized training in math and science have indicated that they are not as comfortable teaching these subjects due to the increased demands of the curriculum in recent years. This is not a refection on their teaching ability, merely a statement of fact based on their education and background. Access to the specialized rooms at the secondary school will be worked out through scheduling. We would be the first to admit that the process is still unfolding at GDCI and it will continue to improve. In the Stratford schools where this model is well established the students have regular access to science labs as well as art, music and drama rooms. These facilities cannot be replicated in our elementary schools.
Despite your impression, the trustees did not come into the June 22 meeting with a decision already made. Individually they assessed the input from the ARC and the staff and made a decision. The fact that the decision was unanimous speaks to their common belief about what is important for maintaining education programming in Huron and Perth Counties.
Finally, we have never questioned the close ties that bind communities such as Zurich. We are aware that parents may choose to send their children to other schools as a result of this decision. Trustees took that fact into account as they considered all of the information related to this accommodation review. While we are sorry that the outcome of this review has been upsetting for many families, the trustees believe that their decision was the best one for sustaining education for students in Zurich and across the whole district.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
way to go Christina!
No one mentioned about the added toxins of adding more buses wrecking the enviroment... The govt keeps stating that we are trying to better the enviroment by this percentage by this date.. obviously Avon Maitland isn't included with these same goals to strive for. Sorry that people lost their schools, and i'm sorry that kids are being uprooted from their comfort zone. I still want to know who chooses a trustee and why? who makes them be in charge? do any of them have kids to relate to? or is it because they have education behind them?
looking forward to your reply MR. ASH....
Correction.....I am a proud Panther and at ZPS we are proud Cougars.
Christina McAdams
To clarify,wanting answers to my email AND good email Ms Adams--great points
Hello Debbie
Thank you for your note.
When trustees indicated that they made their decision with the best interests of students in mind they were referring to the education needs of those students in the long term. The status quo is not sustainable and changes had to be made to ensure the level of education for all of this board's students does not suffer due to funding declines associated with declining enrolment. We do not question that parents and grand parents generally know what is best for their children; trustees however must make their decisions based on what is best for all 17,000 children served by this board.
We cannot speak for how the media reported issues related to the accommodation review. The only information that staff provided to the media was the public reports made at each of the board meetings subsequent to the ARC completing its report. All questions and comments from the trustees were part of the public record reported at the board meetings. If the media did indicate that Brussels was going to stay open, they did so through their own interpretation of the available information.
During the transition process things such as a school name will need to be discussed, along with other items, to ensure that Brussels and Grey students are well served in the new configuration. These discussions will involve members of both school communities to ensure both community's needs are met. You are correct that it will take some time for the communities affected by this decision to come to grips with the changes. We will work with the community members to try to make the process as positive as possible for parents and students.
Mike Ash
Superintendent of Education
Response to Trustee Jenny Versteeg:
So I guess all the parents that saw some of the trustees behaviour in the meetings, are all mistaken and we are causing such a disturbance for our own good, right? Yes, I love having these computer wars on here because I have nothing better to do with my time! I would rather be doing something else, but I feel as though we were ignored throughout this process. That little book of yours, well maybe you need to read it to put you're concious at bay, but I certainly don't need to read it, I know all about loss and grieving and definately don't need your help. We are angry because we don't feel like we were given a choice and these are our kids! Pretty sure none of you were there the day they were brought into this world. This is Canada, not North Korea, what happened to freedom of choice? Here's the deal, I did not want my kids at Grey in the first place, that comment above I'm assuming you are referring to a survey that Brussels parents filled out at the beginning of the arc process. Well I knew it then and I know it now, that the survey should have been distributed after the arc meetings were attended and all the information was absorbed, not while people were running scared! I am not going to make a change for my children that gives them the same or lower benefits, if I have to make a change and they have to now ride a bus, they best be getting more benefits! Sending them to Grey which has the nothing but the learning grounds, which aren't even maintained ( and you want us to "clean up", not my responsibility), would be a lower benefit for my child. I would rather send them to the imaginary school in North Huron, as I have been told would have better access to specialized teachers and programming due to it's size. I pay my taxes, so my child should get the same as everyone else in the region. How stupid would I be, if my child attends Grey then in grade 7 they are sent to FE Madill, to not only be a minority (because the rest of the students have all been together throughout elementary school), but be behind the "eight ball" thanks to the bigger school with more to offer the larger body of students. I guess I'm suppose to just settle when it comes to my children. Also if it is up to the parents and community to clean up the learning grounds then it should have been excluded in this arc process. If my child is utilizing those grounds during school hours, then they better be maintained properly by someone who knows what they are doing, not joe blow up the road! You mostly based you're reasons on keeping Grey open on the learning grounds, which if they are not board property then they shouldn't have had any leverage on your decisions. Do not say you know what we are feeling, because you don't. You have to be resposible for you're poor decisions, and at least give Brussels parents a choice, I want the best for my children, they are worth it!
Thanks for your "IMMEDIATE" response....just wondering about some of the other letters that did not get exactly answered. For example Sarah asked about the winter driving in Huron County and the concern of storm stayed and the risk that puts out children out there. Again....that is why we choose for our children to walk to school...OUR CHOICE
Dear Mr Ash,
This letter is in regards to your quote as listed below:
"The trustees considered many factors when making their decision including the education needs of the children, the condition of the buildings, the space available for expansion (if necessary), and the costs of potential additions to the existing buildings."
Can you please give us a list, in point form, exactly how the education in Grey Public School will be better than that provided by Brussels Public School?
Since the condition of both schools is much the same, both schools have plenty of space for expansion I can only assume the education itself must be the deciding factor.
It is my understanding that staff option 1 was going to cost approximately $710,000 and this included the addition of two extra rooms on BPS. You are on record stating that $100,000/year may sound like a lot of money but in the overall budget of AMDSB it is a drop in the bucket, not a lot of money. With this being said the staff option 1 should not be an issue since because if you amortize this over 10 years it is less than the proverbial $100,000/year.
It seems as though something very special must take place in GPS to outweigh the benefits of keeping BPS open (in no particular order):
- Kids waking/biking to and from school.
- Partnership with Huron Lee Nursing Home.
- Lower operating costs (compared to GPS).
- Projected sustained student attendance.
- Facilities within walking distance (pool, arena etc.).
- Effect on local businesses of parents/relatives coming into Brussels.
-BPS child mentor program.
- Active real estate market partially due to having a school in town.
- No additional busses required - a saving of a minimum of $40,000/year to AMDSB. Although this does not effect you directly you are required to be fiscally responsible since it is ultimately paid for my the Ministry of Education which is funded by us, the tax payers.
- Kids do not have to sit waiting on a bus each morning for the school to open.
Please do not include the Environmental Learning Grounds in your list. Having toured this area I am completely unimpressed and would not wish my children to visit such an unsafe and unimpressive area. In my opinion it adds nothing little or no value to the education of the children.
If there are other factors then please can you also list these in your reply.
I would like to add one other comment. I was pretty appalled to hear that one trustee thought "it was hard to make a decision" because there had been "too much information to read". If the sort of commitment required to perform the trustee's job is too much for them then they should never have taken the job. When you are making decisions that effect people's lives you should take the responsibility very seriously and read everything you are given. I personally believe that trustees should be required to attend every ARC meeting to ensure they do not miss any pertinent facts.
Having been present at the ARC meeting that took place in Brussels I know exactly how important the school is to the lives of each and every resident/parent here. If they are responsible, and care about the decisions they make, each and every trustee should take the time to listen to the sound recording of that meeting. Comments have been made since that the residents of Brussels and parents of BPS school children did not make their feelings and thoughts known. If you listen to this recording I think you will see otherwise.
Thanks,
Alison
Hello Allison
A couple of points of clarification. The site at Grey Central Public School does have more land for expansion of the building than does Brussels PS. Second, while I did say that the difference in costs of $100,00 was relatively small compared to the overall board budget, the costs for constructing a addition are not. These costs are incurred at one time and may not be spread over 10 years as you suggest. As such, the $710,000 estimated for the cost of an addition at Brussels public school becomes a consideration when comparing the capital costs associated with the two options. Finally, the ongoing costs of busing were factored into the calculations and the cost for the additional busing would be offset by savings related to staffing.
Both schools have provided a top notch education opportunity for students. The fact is that, with the current enrolment and with the current funding formula, maintaining both schools is not sustainable. Grey Central will continue to provide a quality education for all students. Through the transition process we will work with the communities to addressed issues raised to ensure that the quality of education provided to the students of Brussels and Grey is maintained.
I came across this discussion while looking through the website for the 2011 school calendar. I had this feeling of deja vu.
I was a parent who was very involved in the moving of 7&8 students to the high school locations in Stratford. One of the comments that stuck with me in those meetings was that it was just the first step and that eventually this plan would roll out to the country kids and that those rural parent committees should pay attention to what happens in Stratford. Well, here you are. Good luck.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
It is absolutely true that Grey has more land but both schools have ample for the size of addition that would be needed so this is a non-issue.
Also, since closing either school will save the board money in staffing costs I fail to see that this is a reason for picking Grey since if Brussels were to stay open you would save money on BOTH staffing costs and bussing costs.
I take it from your silence on the benefits to the kids of going to Grey over Brussels that you could not think of any? The only reasons you give in your response are monetary related and if this is indeed the reason Grey was picked then shame on the trustees. In the board's own documentation "value to the students" is supposed to be more important than "value to the board" and obviously none of the trustees gave any weight to the "value to the community" and "value to the local economy"... Depriving our children of the health, educational and social benefits of going to Brussels Public School just to save a few dollars is a disgrace!
Not sure how you are going to work with the Brussels community. Grey Central is the exact same as the Brussels Public when it comes to the level of education, yet Brussels was not good enough to keep open, even with all the community partnerships (ie. huronlea). Since the learning grounds was the deciding factor in this decision, I wonder what is going to happen when half of the NEW Grey school parents write letters to the board stating that they will NOT be allowing their children to tour the learning grounds. This was all so worth it, destroying the community of Brussels. Dropping housing prices, not caring about the 100 businesses, and the 1100 residents (mostly families with children) that all are now affected, because of an unsafe, not cared for learning ground. I signed a permission slip to go to wawanosh centre this school year, so there should also be permission slips for the learning grounds, or is the board's insurance company ready to deal with lawsuits due to injuries? Eventhough, the grounds are board property, they aren't maintained by the board, seems kind of wrong to expect the parents to volunteer to maintain it. So where do we go from here? Maybe since the music program is being transferred with our students, Brussels actually did have more to offer for education. You're board says you want to create good citizens in you're students. So throwing away opportunities, like working with seniors, and being involved with your community, must somehow magically instill these attributes in our children. Another thing Mr Ash, wasn't it you and the senior staff that spent hours deciding Brussels would be the better option? So how can you just "jump ship"? Did the trustees not receive the same information you based you're preferred option on? Still feels like the trustees based they're decisions on personal reasons, not factual reasons. Oh and my kids are more important than any amount of money ever will be. I am a rich man thanks to my children.
Let me first acknowledge the Trustees for taking the time to communicate with the community in the above forum.
But as much as I enjoyed reading the above banter (and I truly did!), dearest citizens of Brussels and other affected areas... in addition to continuing to question the trustees in this open forum, if you would like to see changes made to the decisions (rather than hear excuses for them) then start a petition and get thousands of signatures on it to present to the trustees opposing the changes. And most importantly, RUN TO BE A TRUSTEE... they are elected... replace them with representatives from your community and "FIRE THEM" by voting for someone else to hold their seats.
And Ms. Versteeg, thank you for your detailed, if not smug, description of the grieving process. I'm so glad that you kept your Psych 101 text so that you could share that little ditty with us. But what I'd rather have you explain to me in detail is ..
What exactly are "the requirements of the twenty-first century education" and what specifically is (was) Brussels Public School lacking to meet these requirements?
Truly... are you suggesting teachers there are not adequately trained? Or perhaps the curriculum is dated (but that wouldn't likely be specific to a school)... They don't use Structured Learning approaches? They a few computers short? Please do enlighten us with your view of education in the 21st century!
Certainly in 2010 it is hard to predict what changes the rest of the century will see, but I am certain there will be change. The challenge is to place ourselves in a position to be ready to adapt our education of children to our ever changing world.
One of the ways of doing that is recognizing that teachers need to continually learn new skills. The most effective way we have found for teachers to share and learn new skills is in what we call professional learning communities, where teachers come together and share best practices. This is especially effective in schools where teachers have similar interests - eg at a grade level or a subject level. In order to have these sorts of teachers to talk to, it is important that the teachers are in the same school, and talking about the same children and classes. This means larger schools than some of schools we have in our board. I know that there was some discussion from the community during the ARC process that the board should invest in video conferencing etc, so teachers might have those conversations with teachers at other locations, but using this technology just isn't the same as a face-to-face conversation. There is something about being part of a school to understand the dynamics that both the student and the teacher face. Sometimes it is as simple as one teacher noticing something in hall while standing next to another teacher, and sharing insight into what they see.
Many things have changed in education. Our most senior teachers are about my age. In my university days (sorry, no psych class) , computer science meant stacks of punch cards. Special needs children were taught in regional centres. Adapting to the myriad of changes seen between then and now have been part of our most senior teachers continued professional development over the years. Professional development will be the key to our present teachers teaching well in the future. This can be as simple as one teacher showing another how to hook up to a smart board, or passing on their insight into autistic children, but sharing best practice needs a critical mass of teachers to work. That's one of the reasons behind consolidation of children into larger numbers. It provides the stage for effective change management in a school setting.
Jenny
I'm actually a bit surprised you led Zurich Public School (and perhaps others) to believe they stood a 'chance' by allowing them to offer information/opinions on closing ZPS. These great parents all thought they had a chance of preventing school closure if they attended meetings and voiced opinions. They never stood a chance and you know it.
I have a few thoughts I'd like to share...
1) Years ago I served as SAC Secretary for ZPS the last time (I believe 10 years ago ) ZPS was on the first round of closure lists. Yes, we made a good fight and you chose to remove our name, HOWEVER our SAC Executive committee (and that includes myself) were told THEN by our then newest area trustee Randy Wagler that while ZPS was removed from the closure list at that time, the next time they would not be removed. That's always been at the back of our minds with our kids coming into public school. My husband grew up in Catholic school board, so since then we've always tossed around changing our kids to St Boniface and St. Anne's. Needless to say when I saw on the Board's site the potential for ZPS's closure few years ago, you gave us the shove in the right direction. I'm glad Randy gave us the insight he did years ago because it helped make a difficult decision to change schools much easier. I believe as SAC Secretary I may have written this bit of information in the SAC minutes area, which is available for all to read. It is mind boggling that you think keeping open country schools where ALL the kids are bussed is cheaper than keeping open community schools.
2) I cannot speak for other schools' teachers, but I can speak for ZPS having had one child go through the entire grade system and one leave at Grade 3. Those teachers are GREAT. Those that are there now are the ones that kept the kids motivated to learn, instilled needed confidence, prepped for HS. Those teachers alone are what made our decision to change schools very difficult. You told Heather Reddick in this blog earlier that her husband may simply follow the kids to another school.. GREAT.. then who is going to lose their job for that to happen to facilitate the teachers at ZPS? As well, what about those who are graduating University, how are those new teachers supposed to get jobs now? So much for keeping kids in the community, you force those that grew up in small towns to move to large towns to obtain jobs... thanks...
3) I grew up outside of Cedar Rapids IA in a small community school district - College Community School District -, whereas all grades Kindergarten through high school went to the same campus, road the same buses. We were not placed in the same schools, however before and after school, and sometimes during, as a grade 6 (and through Grade 9) student, I was placed regularly involved with the high school students through recess, bus riding. Back in the late 70's this amalgamation of students together only proved to show younger kids how to smoke, drink, do drugs, peer pressure on sex at a much earlier age than that of a regular school district. This school is still going strong today, but only because the kids are now segregated properly. Amalgamation can work, but you have a moral obligation to prevent impressionable young kids to be placed in a building with older children, where the potential lies before them of gaining easier access to drugs/drink/sex, etc! I wonder how responsible you'll feel for a 13 y/o in 2 years to become pregnant... while a parent may not win a case in court with holding you responsible for their 'changed' child, it would cause a lot of publicity that you don't want.
4) You are DEAD WRONG when you say schools 'ALL OVER THE WORLD' are amalgamating their grades... PARENTS, ASK THIS BOARD FOR THE NAMES OF THE SCHOOLS! Parents do your homework!!! You'll find many in the United States do not have Grades 7&8 in the high school... Grade 9, yes.. but not the lower intermediate grades.... While I attended a junior high for Grades 7-9, most US schools today have intermediate grades placed together as Grades 6-8 called a Middle School. This gives the opportunity for kids that age to grow with confidence without forcing them to grow up prematurely. Why aren't kids who attend these schools who have a dislike for the amalgamation speaking up? Because of the fear already instiled in them!!! So much for confidence, and those are the kids who will be running our futures... GREAT
5) If this is a matter of funding, then by all means reduce your wages to help us out.. increase taxes even , I'm betting residents would rather have had their taxes increased to help fund ZPS to remain open. Did you even honestly approach the parents with an alternative solution to come up with BEFORE last Fall to advise them "hey guys, this is the problem. we may have to close your school in the next few years unless you can come up with an alternative plan". NOPE... you took any choice these parents made have had away from them. You already made your decision to close ZPS 10 years ago. All you did was lead the parents and community forward due to protocol that had to be followed. Your decision was already made and most teachers and parents know this. You should at least own up to that.
I think you should own up that you've made some costly mistakes. Mistakes that can be changed. Since you claim to care SO MUCH about your students, then give your parents a try now and ask them how far they are willing to go to help ZPS and other schools stay open. Ask the teachers ... oh wait, they can't speak on their own behalf because their jobs are threatened... silly me I forgot! It's a better choice to offer a choice, than a long term down the road law suit because your choice in amalgamation was a bad one for a student. It just takes one student. and again while that law suit may not hold up in court, the publicity you'll take on while be awful for you in your personal lives, not to mention the school board as a whole. You CAN create a middle school to make these kids safe..... you CHOOSE not to..
Michelle...
Michelle,
I was forwarded these comments below that you made via our web-site so I thought I'd respond. I've copied Mike Ash, Superintendent of Education in case he wants to respond as well, and also Steve Howe who looks after our web-site so he can post this response.
First let me say, that the decision to close Zurich Public School was only arrived at after careful consideration by the trustees of all the information put forward by the ARC and the Board staff, and it was definitely not a decision that was known at the beginning of the Accommodation Review process. In terms of your other comments, I'd like to respond to each paragraph:
1) While I don't remember my exact comments 10 years ago, the intent of my comments would have been that Zurich Public School would most likely be on a list for potential closure in the future, but that would not imply that Zurich Public School would close or not.
2) In terms of teachers losing jobs, the Accommodation Review is not intended, nor do we project to reduce the number of teachers in the Board, so ZPS teachers should not lose their jobs because of an Accommodation Review, because we assume that we need to teach the same number of students and maintain the same Board-wide teacher-to-pupil ratio. Having said that, teachers would obviously teach in a different school in the district, and potentially they could teach the same students.
3) We understand the concern over the possible negative peer pressure and influence from high school students on grade 7&8 students, but our experience is that appropriate interaction between high school students and grade7&8 students does not negatively impact the grade 7&8 students, and in fact has a positive effect on behaviour. We have seen this in the 3 schools that now have grade 7&8 students in a high school setting.
4) In terms of middle schools, we have found that behaviour is more positive in a grade 7-12 setting than in a middle school setting. In addition, there are a number of schools in Ontario now moving to the 7-12 model (e.g. Ottawa Catholic Board).
5) The issues driving accommodation review are both funding related and quality of education related because they are intertwined. It is more difficult for us to provide quality of education in very small schools given our funding constraints, and so we have embarked on these accommodation reviews as a way of providing sustainable high quality education in light of the challenges we face.
Again, thank you for your comments.
Regards,
Randy Wagler
Trustee, AMDSB, Southwest Huron
Hello, I am still wondering if someone can actually give me an honest reply.
Why are we closing in town schools to suport country schools?
Please explain to me how my child's best interests were kept with the closure of Brussels Public? Leave financial answers out of your responses.
I know there are better programs and extras offered to students in larger schools, yet, what you have done is closed BPS to send us to a school with very little play equipment and no music program. Not to mention no interaction with seniors and community groups. What is a wood lot going to offer my child that he wouldn't have gotten on a trip to wawanosh? Did you know Grey Central also visited wawanosh center? Leads me to believe that this almighty learning ground isin't really what it was made out to be.
For me to continue to be the best parent I can possibly be, I have come to the conclusion that I will actually be hurting my children's future by sending them to the designated school. Answer me this if you were I, would you seriously send your children to a school with the same if not lower opportunities offered? or to a school like the new state of the art school in Wingham with more to offer it's students? Also would you be comfortable knowing that once grade 7 comes around and all the students from the North Huron school move as a large body to the highschool having already experienced musical instruments among countless other opportunites, and your child moves from Grey as a minority group with no experiences offered to them? You can't tell me that this doesn't put my child behind the other children. I have had a lot of time to way my pros and cons and I'm not seeing the benefits of Grey.
School is one of the most important things in a child's life and I want the best for my children, I will not settle, I want to have the best. This world is all about technology and new inventions, quick and fast paced. I want to have my children experience as many things as possible. I love the environment too but I don't think education needs to be dependent upon the learning grounds. Maybe in the cities and urban areas, it would be the greatest tool for those children since all they know is technology. But here in Huron County we have access to wood lots, farming, and environmental tools every day.
I would be overjoyed to have my child go to school in the woodlot if I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was going to grow up and work in that type of job. But I don't. So it makes more sense to me to have him experience as many things as possible so he can figure out what his likes and dislikes are. So that someday he is doing a job that he loves. So please enlighten me with what you would do in my position, and how you as a trustee feel that closing BPS benefits my children. Remember no financial answers please!
Thank you.
Quote
5) The issues driving accommodation review are both funding related and quality of education related because they are intertwined. It is more difficult for us to provide quality of education in very small schools given our funding constraints, and so we have embarked on these accommodation reviews as a way of providing sustainable high quality education in light of the challenges we face.
Please define what you mean by" quality of education".
What is my small school lacking specifically that my child will now be getting by moving her to a larger school.
What exactly do you mean by "sustainable high quality education".I would appreciate some very specific examples.
Do we need to provide music programs for our kids ourselves?Art?Drama?
Don't bother with that garbage about teachers being able to communicate better with each other .Ask any of our teachers,yes ASK them they will tell you that keeping smaller schools open will benefit the kids much better .
Teachers do communicate with each other all the time.Many of them are friends.the fact is that what you are doing is passing the buck..."Oh we are doing this for the children its best for them....our teachers can communicate much better face to face....."
Our kids are going to be offered the same quality of education whether they remain in a small school or a large school .The problem is that some of those kids that have trouble keeping up are going to be lost.If they don't understand they will end up falling behind,not pay attention and grades will drop.In a smaller school these kids are often given more help by the principal or by other teachers not busy at the time.In a large school,the principal just won't have time to help.Thats just the academic problems they will face.Socially many kids struggle to find their pecking order in the class/school.Add a hundred more kids and that problem just gets worse.
Sigh....sorry I really do get angry.
I would really appreciate an answer to my question.
Please define what you mean by" quality of education".
sincerely ,
Chris McAdams
P.S. Congratulations on your retirement Mr. Reid.Perhaps a few others should join you.
I was doing a little research on etfo.ca and I found this little piece. I do realize that it is out of date, but I was wondering if the Teachers union still holds the same thought. They also published a pamphlet which I can't seem to locate at this time but I will keep looking.
If I get this right these are the people who teach our children, who I would think have a better idea what is the best for the kids, not the 9 people who have been told over and over again not to send OUR kids to a secondary school.
Board’s Proposal to Transfer Grade 7 and 8 Students to High Schools is “just plain wrong” Say Elementary Teachers
December 5, 2007
Elementary school teachers are launching a campaign today to underline the harmful effects on young adolescents resulting from the Upper Canada District School Board’s proposal to transfer grade 7 and 8 students to high schools.
Newspaper and radio ads, billboards, mailed brochures, and a website (protectourkids.ca) deliver the message that elementary schools offer a better and safer learning environment for young adolescent children, an environment less open to bullying and more closely connected to the local community.
While moving grade 7 and 8 students into secondary schools might be a cost-effective way of addressing declining enrolment and keeping the secondary schools open, young adolescent students will pay the price, warned Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) President David Clegg.
“It’s just plain wrong,” said Clegg. “The young students will spend more time on school buses, face the pressure of older, more mature students, and lose the many benefits that can only be provided by elementary schools.
The Upper Canada District School Board has offered no evidence that this accommodation plan will improve student learning for grades 7 and 8. That should always be their priority.”
Clegg explained that academic research suggests that young adolescents do better in elementary schools.
“Students from age 10 to 15 show gains in mathematics, language, and reading when they attend small schools with lower student-teacher ratios and shared teaching – all factors more common in elementary schools,” he said.
ETFO is urging concerned parents of young adolescents to make their views known by speaking out at School Board public meetings
Another question I would like an answer too would be. Why in the S.H./B W arc is it that sending our 7and 8's to SHDHS is the best thing for our kids education but in Listowel those poor deprived kids are not getting sent to a High School but are getting amalgamated into a new K-8 school that could be half empty in a few short years.
I would like to thank Mrs. Versteeg for helping me understand my next step in this process, I will grieve for the loss to the Listowel children.
Thanks Greg McAdams