By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Closing schools isn’t just a Burlington issue.
The Halton District Catholic School board decided yesterday that two elementary schools in Oakviolle would be closed.
Holy Family and St. John’s were both at 75% utilization; staff recommended closure and the board voted for it.
“What happens when the areas north of Dundas in Oakville are wholly developed and we need the schools?” Was a question one board member asked after the decision was made.
It was the largest closure in Board history.
Oakville Trustee, Anthony Danko, voted to close the schools, citing fiscal conservatism for the vote.
With Jane Michael and trustees Paul Marai, Anthony Quinn and Helena Karabela voting against the motion it looked like there was going to be a tie vote which meant the motion would fail.
HDCSB Director of Education Paula Dawson
An observer at the meeting said she overheard Director Paula Dawson, saying to the Chair for this year, Diane Rabenda, to vote for closure. She did and the motion passed.
The Director of Education at almost every school board have a tremendous amount of influence over the trustees. Many Directors cultivate the trustees who are all too frequently in over their heads – to be fair education is big business (the Halton District School Board is the biggest business in the Region).
The province announced late this afternoon that there are 300 schools on the “chopping block”. Having settled their labour issues with the teachers the provincial government now wants to look for ways to cut their costs.
The price for what you expect to get in the way of lower hydro fees might be the closure of your local school.
You get your chance to have your say in June of 2018.
The provincial government is trying to convince the two schools boards, Catholic and public, to share facilities.
Our source said: “Someone brought that up at the meeting – sharing facilities with our Coterminous Board is very contentious. It is akin to saying we are good with One Board for all. All nine HDCSB Trustees would have to vote to even go down that road, and it would never be unanimous. “
Best time to inflict the pain is right after a win.
A long time ago former Premier Bill Davis arrived at an agreement with the Cardinal that the separate school boards would remain. Davis and the Cardinal used to smoke cigars and sip good Scotch together.
Premier Wynn and the current Cardinal will not be sipping Scotch together and she isn’t likely to even suggest that the two boards be merged.
Should she win in June 2018 she just might have to take some drastic steps. Best time to inflict the pain is right after a win – no pun intended.
This notion that we have to have two school boards, and two separate systems of administration for our schools, is sheer lunacy.
Sharing of resources, infrastructure and facilities should be mandated by the province. There is nothing in the Constitution or any other legal document that says that a school cannot serve multiple populations. There is no reason why a school cannot be reconfigured to accommodate public and separate school students, or reconstituted for other purposes such as a rehab centre or a seniors drop-in centre. Catholic children can receive religious instruction in a separate class as necessary. Similarly, there is no reason why Catholic and public school kids can’t share the same buses, or go on the same class trips, or take Math or English classes together. Please don’t try and tell me that there is a Catholic and non-Catholic way of teaching Shakespeare, Chaucer or doing algebra.
Regardless of whether you are a public or separate school taxpayer none of us should have to endure these unnecessary expenditures of building new schools and facilities in one neighbourhood when there is another perfectly good facility nearby being closed.