Thursday, April 16, 2009

Letter to the Board By E-Mail

To whom it may concern,


I am writing in response to the Board's decision to close two of the schools and to put our Grade Seven and Eight's into a high school setting. Not only does decision this belittle how much work that went into the committee that brought forth a viable alternative (NMECE), but it reflects the dismissive attitude of the school board itself. The community was clear and adamant on what we did not want, and that was the scenario you hand picked.

As a community we were willing to band together and let our differences go by the wayside, to promote what was best for our children not what we felt was best for our immediate community. Unfortunately, your decision is not only shortsighted, but depicts the "status quo" mentality that people who did not turn out for the meetings said would happen. It is blatantly obvious you had your agenda already in place and the idea to "think outside the box" was nothing but a means to distract us from what was inevitable. Therefore, I suggest, that because F.E. Madill was not part of the initial ARC proposal, that a new ARC be formed, and the veil of secrecy and motive be removed, and have an open and honest modus operandi.

I am also suggesting that you start to observe the feelings and sentiments of the students and families and citizens that you represent, and families that may move to the county. You are undermining the importance of our Huron County, our resources, and our children.

I would also like to suggest that those on the Board take a course in Ethics, it may improve community relations, it may also teach you, that actions do have a reaction, and Huron County will not become a draw to those outside our boundaries, since a lack of quality schools are a real-estate deal breaker.

Our tax dollars pay your salaries, and when our small towns become ghost towns, you will need to step back and wonder why you are without jobs. Could it be that closing Blyth P.S. which is running at capacity, and choosing not to pursue NMECE, may be the catalyst?

It seems that the Board really wants to keep going through the process every five years of closing schools, in an effort to keep themselves gainfully employed with cushioned pensions. Kudos to you, another great job!

Lisa Bieman

Letter To Board Employees~~From Joanne Smith

Dear Board Employees,

I like many other parents awoke this morning to the news of my son's school being closed down. I have attended many of the meetings discussing the possibility of this happening and was not at all shocked about the closure of one or more schools. Unfortunately a lot of the children who heard for the first time that their beloved school was closing came from a radio box and not from the teachers that they trust and adore and not from a news letters where their parents could re-assure them that a new school would be a good choice.

My frustrations go beyond the ordinary struggles with lowered real estate and convenience of walking to school with Both public school being closed down, my struggles are with you, the board members. I sat in meeting after meeting with you, along side other tax paying parents who were told repeated that their say meant something.

The ministry REQUIRES such meetings to ensure that the voice of the parents and the children are heard. I sat there with YOU and listened as parents flooded in on surveys, e-mails in constant discussion over their complete disgust over using our children to fill seats in high schools. Not only were these educated people speaking up about the rights their eleven and twelve year olds but these were the parents you were instructed to listen to. It was more than abundantly clear that parents DO NOT want their children exposed to an environment set up to meet the needs of children seven years older than themselves in order to fix your political issues.

Showing up at these meetings was only the beginning step of the job you were suppose to be doing. In repeated attempts to prove to the parents that this was not a decision to send the grades 7&8's into high school you had the ARCs and families meet over and over again to find a solution to fix the lowered enrollment of our elementary schools. But rather than listen, rather than coming to us and explaining to us that you had a plan already in motion you have taken the elementary children to fix a problem that was not even our own.

You are sacrificing MY children in order to save face.I am disgusted by the lack of reaction to the out pouring of concerns that families have thrown your way regarding their children in grades 7&8 going into high school. I am furious that we were ever asked to attend meetings, pay babysitters, drive to the meetings out of town and pour over numbers and ideas so that you could look into the media cameras and smile and say what a wonderful job we were doing and then turn back to the agenda you were already following.I challenge you to gain the trust and respect of the families that do not chose, as I am, to send their children off into private education. I refuse to play your political game. You want to fill high school chairs, then do it with TEENAGERS, not with teeny boppers. I am hoping the ones paying the salary of the ones making the decisions about our children are aware of how ignored we have been, and what a joke they have made of this system, oh wait, I am a tax payer and one of the parents forking over money for fundraisers. I guess I am just one of the fools that believed a word the board employees fed to me at each of the meetings I attended. Let me tell you, it wont happen again!!!

Joanne Smith

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

This is a quicky.

I implore the parents, grandparents, guardians, and the residents of North Huron to write letters to their MP's, The Avon Maitland District School Board, and to even think about participating in a day of protest, where we pull our kids out of school for a day, or maybe two days.

We need the media attention, we do not want our 7/8's in high school. It is evident that the modus operandi behind the recommendation of the board is to boost Madill's numbers.

If my one child is going to be put into this catch basin, I will seriously think about putting her into a Catholic School for the duration of her public school career and possibly high school, in Clinton.

This is a ridiculous waste of time and energy for those who have been actively involved in the ARC process, (again, I am not counting myself in there). There have been such dedicated, hardworking individuals, that have planned, and put forth an idea to benefit many of the schools up for closure.

There are only 124 people in the NMECE facebook group. Please join if you haven't and get your letters of protest out there.

As for a day of protest, I truly think that if this is publicized, quite possibly, it may add some clout.

YIKES!

Unfortunately the board is recommending sending our beloved 7/8's to the highschool setting because Madill needs our numbers:

North Huron Centre of Excellence Rejected By Board Staff
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:50 am
The Avon Maitland School Board's staff is rejecting the Central, East, North Huron Accommodation Review Committee's recomendations for a new school.The recommendation from the committee was to build a "super" elementary school for students who currently attend Wingham, Turnberry, Blyth and East Wawanosh.The board's staff recomments the closure of Turnberry and Blyth and sending the Grade 7 and 8 students from those schools to F.E. Madill in Wingham.K to 6 students from Turnberry will go to Wingham Public and K to 6 students from Blyth will be split between East Wawanosh and Hullett.Avon Maitland Board staff argue funding is not available for a new school from any of the various sources including the province and federal governments.Superindent Mike Ash says there's another reason to shuffle elementary students in the North Huron family to exisiting schools.
(Click arrow to listen to audio or right click here to download audio)
Accomodation Committee Chair Mark Beavan disagrees.
(Click arrow to listen to audio or right click here to download audio)
The Avon-Maitland School Board will vote on those staff recommendations at the end of the school year.