EDUCATION: ONCE ONTARIO'S PRIDE, NOW OUR SHAME

POLITICAL MEDDLING IN EDUCATION HAS DESTROYED OUR SYSTEM

The strength of our Ontario system prior to the 1970's was based on wise guidance from the Ministry, trusting local educators to adapt sound principles to local circumstances, local governance to ensure that the school and the community work harmoniously to serve the children, their families, and the community well.

Since the 1970s, the education system has been stolen from the community, taken over by the trade union mentality adopted by the teachers' federations (all about money, what is professionalism, anyway?), and big government acting like the bosses of trade unions.

The final stroke has been taken with the legislature, with the Liberals and the PCs combining  to wipe out the final vestige of local governance, and the NDPers taking the side of the trade union activists. Nobody is left to give a damn for the children, the communities, the quality of the education system. Many school boards are taking their lessons from the government and ignoring the views and needs of the community. The communities care a lot but they have pretty well given up any hope of the return of sanity to the school scene.

Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals should be charged with being AWOL, but who is going to replace them? Can we really expect any thing different from the PCs who jumped into bed with Dalton on this latest grab for total centralized control of schooling? Can we expect anything different from the NDP who are on the big labour side?

It is a sad state of affairs. I hope someone comes up with a solution, but I don't think we can expect any solution from the Ontario legislature without a major change in the quality of political leadership, leadership that can put the education bureaucrats in their place.

Brock Vodden

NO APOLOGY REQUIRED

It has been suggested by my constant critics in the Wingham Free Press, that I should apologize to the Avon Maitland District School Board for my revelations of their ill-advised decisions to close the schools of several Huron County villages. They also demand that I apologize to  a member of the AMDSB Communications Department for comments I made about him.

As usual the WFP demands are pure nonsense.

AMDSB closed the only school in our community for no legitimate educational purpose. The new school is being built as a monument to the Huron County school board members to match the new school Perth members got last year and children had to be thrown out of their home town schools to feed this monster.

What sense does it make to build a new 24 room school in an area that is reported to have too many schools and not enough children?

Blyth Public School and several others have been sacrificed for the new school. The school board cheated on the ARC process in order give a false appearance of community consultation. 

A petition signed by 631 people, presented by our MPP, Lisa Thompson to the Ontario legislature, indicates the fact that Blyth citizens were totally opposed to what their school board did to them.

As councillor for the Blyth Ward, it would be a dereliction of duty  if I were not speaking out on this topic. An apology would be inappropriate.

ABOUT THE AMDSB COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

In a radio interview on CKNX I stated the known fact that Blyth was not properly represented in the ARC process. Later the school board's director of communications accused me of not telling the truth. He clearly stated that every ARC meeting was advertised in the local papers and that Blyth was, in fact , properly represented.

Neither claim was true.

The fact is that only the second meeting  was advertised in the Citizen; the other 5 meetings were not advertised at all.
The fact is that only two of the ARC meetings were advertised in the Wingham Advance-Times; the others were not advertised  at all.

The ministry guidelines stipulated that  a broad cross-section of the community must be involved, including business representatives and municipal reps. Ask Steve Howe the names of the business and municipal reps were for Blyth and he will have no answer. If there is any apology due it should be from him for accusing me of lying. I am the one, the only one,  who spoke the truth.

Brock Vodden

Look Who's Chair of Avon Maitland School Board

The newly elected chair of our local school board (Avon Maitland) happens to be the person who, in theory at least, represents our community. Well, when it came to the decision of whether to close Blyth Public School, she voted in favour of the closure.

So we really can't say that she ever represented our community. (She reportedly said afterwards that she didn't know that we wanted to keep our school. Classy response, Colleen!).

Now that she has gained this position of power, there is no telling what she might do to us.

At least she won't be able to close our school, because, thanks to her and her buddies, we don't have any schools left for her to close.

Brock Vodden