By Pepper Parr
December 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Somebody changed their mind – and that is healthy. The school board has released the data gathered at the public meeting last Thursday.
The Gazette attended the first really public meeting of the PARC Program Accommodation Review Committee that was created to provide comment on the Boards decision to close two of the city’s high schools.
Lester B. Pearson and Central high school were marked for closure because the city had more than 1800 seats that were not occupied.
The meeting was boisterous but serious questions were asked and the audience of more than 350 dutifully clicked the devices they were given to record the answers.
Given the number of parents from Central, 58.6% of those who voted on the questions asked, the data is going to be somewhat skewed but a close read of all the data suggests that parents from the other high schools could feel much the same way.
With 2 votes from Robinson; 7 from Aldershot and 5 from Bateman- it is difficult to get a sense as to what they think or feel.
That they don’t feel they are at risk and that the problem doesn’t impact them is not the smartest position to take.
All the data is now publicly available and parents can begin to do their own analysis.
The Gazette wants to thank the school board for making the data available.
It can be found at LINK.
Related articles:
Why the board didn’t want to release the data.
It is always poor policy to make a decision and ask for input afterwards, as appears to have been the case.
Congratulations to the Gazette for its continuing excellent coverage of this issue and for keeping pressure on the Board to provide data.