A New Thought About the School Situation

Let’s All Cut Our Losses

Let me make clear at the outset that I represent only myself. If I get my facts wrong or misrepresent some group’s position on the school situation – blame me.

I sent an email to Jenny Versteeg, the chair of Avon Maitland District School Board a few days ago. The message reflected my usual impatience and anger against the board for deciding to close the Blyth Public School and for the potential closing of the Brussels Public School. It was not a very polite letter.

In a very short time, I received a reply from Ms. Versteeg. It was a lengthy, very polite, clear and logically developed presentation of the board’s process and position. I still strongly disagreed with their conclusion, but the message caused me to re-think the situation.

Naïve or not – this is what I came up with.

As things stand now, everyone is losing: the AMDSB, the children, the parents, the communities, local businesses.

As for the school board – they are almost universally detested throughout our communities, and these feelings will remain for a very long time. Their image falls into the same category as those who pushed us into amalgamations, ultra large health units (LHINs), attempted hospital closings, etc.; remote, uncaring, bureaucratic, meddlers who, we feel, have no business attacking our communities, ignoring our wishes and needs.

Our children are losers in that none will be able to walk to school, they’ll be separated from many of their friends, infants will spend hours travelling by bus on school days.

I don’t need to repeat the complaints raised by parents of the children. We do not want our Grade 7 and 8 children in F.E. Madill and we are under no obligation to fall in line with other jurisdictions that permit this arrangement.

Communities will become unattractive to young families who will not care to move to a town that has no school. Property values will decline. Businesses will see a loss in commerce for this and other reasons.

A JUDGMENT ERROR BY THE LOCAL COMMITTEE

I believe that the ARC team gave the board permission to close the Blyth School when they promoted the idea of a Super K to 8 School which would replace several area schools including that of Blyth.

True, they gave this option given the prospect of replacing the schools with what to them was an exciting new vision of an institution which will represent an advance into a high value educational experience made possible by an innovative building and innovative teachers using innovative methods. They were turning a perceived problem into an opportunity.

The board perhaps should have realized that the agreement on closing the school was contingent on the super school being part of the deal.

It seems to me this is a time when some negotiation should be considered. Negotiation could avoid the situation where everyone loses.

Huron County, North Huron, Huron East cannot tolerate the losses of Blyth and Brussels Public Schools. If Blyth and Brussels lose their schools, the losses are not confined within their borders; they extend out into the rural area surrounding them, most residents of which see these villages as the centre of their communities.


Let’s hope that there are some statesmanship displayed in the next few weeks, regardless of what comes from the current review of the Blyth School decision.