Dave Rutherford, superintendent of facilities with the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board, said the policy would mean some additional steps boards would have to go through in terms of sharing information with the community.I can't see boards having any other response than this when asked what they think of the draft policy. As has been pointed out here in posts and comments previously, good school boards already conduct much of the consultation urged in the draft policy.
“If we were planning to build or renovate and existing facility, we would be required to communicate with community partners,” Rutherford said.
He said he and other board officials didn’t have any concerns with the proposed policy.
“It makes sense,” Rutherford said.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Community policy comment from central Ontario
The (Sterling) Community Press posted this late last week, where the local Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic and Hastings and Prince Edward district school boards were polled on the draft policy released after Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne met with the Community Schools Alliance in August.
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4 comments:
It just makes me wonder about why board administrators would need to be reminded to consult with their community?? If they haven't been doing that what HAVE they been doing?
I have heard that Bill 177 is in second reading. There's lots of noise about that I understand among trustees?
I've only managed to read through it once. Have you seen it ER?
There is indeed a fair amount of reaction to it, and to a regulation attached flowing from Bill 78 that attempts to define circumstances other than financial under which a board might be put under varying degrees of provincial control, up to and including supervision. The Reg is referred to as the Provincial Interest reg, and is recognition of the fact that if the province fully pays for education (which, as ER has noted, isn't the case so far a parent fees would appear to be concerned...) then it has the right to demand results for its $$$. Here's the OPSBA link to their latest reaction to Bill 177: http://www.opsba.org/index.php?q=news/opsba_clarifies_the_association%E2%80%99s_position_on_bill_177
and to the Provincial Interest Reg - http://www.opsba.org/files/PIR_Consultation_Paper_OPSBA_Prelim_Response_August25-09.pdf
The Council of Directors of Education has also prepared a response, but I am unable to find it on-line. The language in the Act that trustees found most problematic is around the clause which would prohibit them from taking part in the day-to-day operations of the board (staff may have found this more appealing!). I understand that is under revision. Both the legislation and the reg are a continuation of the diminuation of the powers of boards and trustees that began at the time of amalgamation and the imposition of provincial funding, and has continued ever since.
All I can say is maybe it's time that school communities entered into the discussion of
a) eliminating school boards all together
OR
b) get the government out of the business of education?
Any idea how many folks work in the school boards of Ontario?
Still, it was predictable to see this coming as costs continue to soar and kids drop off. At some point the people who pay need to see something for that?
I don't think it unreasonable.
Indeed Bill 177 has carried on second reading and was referred to the standing committee on social policy before third and final reading.
I promise to throw something more substantive up once I've had a chance to read and compare to the first reading.
Thanks for your eagle eyes, folks.
Hugo
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