| Ontario
Government to Hold Consultations on Keeping Rural Schools
Open
Waterloo-Wellington
MPP Ted Arnott is very pleased with the announcement
by Deputy Premier and Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer
that an Advisor has been appointed to consult and make
recommendations on how to support rural schools. This
follows a Provincial Government commitment to establish
a new $50 million Rural Education Strategy.
Mr.
Arnott, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Education
Minister, welcomed the appointment of Dr. James Downey,
former University of Waterloo President, as the Advisor
who will conduct the consultations and make recommendations
to the Government of Ontario.
“Supporting
rural schools has been a high priority for me in my
13 years in the Legislature and trying to find ways
to keep rural schools open has been an important issue
in Waterloo-Wellington,” said Mr. Arnott. “We need to
take action to help ensure that students, especially
in single-school communities, continue to have access
to an excellent quality education.”
“I
want to thank Elizabeth for her outstanding leadership
in education, and for the steps she is taking to support
rural education,” he added.
As
Advisor, Dr. Downey will:
Consult
with education partners and other community leaders
in rural and northern areas on the role and future of
the local community school;
Lead research into best practices in other jurisdictions
to support small schools in single-school communities;
Review Ministry guidelines and board practices on school
closures to ensure that local decisions are open and
accountable, as required under the Education Act;
Identify school boards that need additional support
to operate small schools in single-school communities;
and,
Develop recommendations, using the student-focused funding
formula, to distribute the $50 million allocated yearly
for the rural education strategy to school boards.
Ministry of Education officials have indicated that
starting on May 23, 2003, the Advisor will convene a
series of roundtable forums in Ontario to gather the
input of representatives and leaders of rural and northern
communities, school boards and other education partners.
It is expected that the advisor will submit his report
to the Minister in June 2003 so that action can be taken
before the start of the new school year.
“I
am asking parents, educators, students and any interested
constituents to consider providing written submissions
to Dr. Downey to help develop our strategy for rural
and northern schools. It is an opportunity to express
how important our schools are to our communities,” Mr.
Arnott said. “We also want parents to be involved, and
to support their childrens’ achievement in the classroom.”
Written
submissions should be sent to the Advisor by 5 P.M.
on Friday June 6, 2003. They may be sent via the website
at www.ruraleducationstrategy.on.ca or by e-mail to
info@ruraleducationstrategy.on.ca. The regular mailing
address is: Rural Education Strategy, P.O. BOX 50, 77
Wellesley Street West, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3. Inquiries
can be addressed by calling (416) 325-2577. Submissions
could also be sent to Ted Arnott, MPP at the Waterloo-Wellington
Riding Office, 181 St. Andrew St. E., 2nd Floor, Fergus,
Ontario, the phone number is (519) 787-5247 or toll
free 1-800-265-2366.
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