HEATHER BOA Bullet News CLINTON – A conference call with the head of an organization that calls for greater municipal input in decisions about school closures has given Huron County councillors some ideas on how to find a rural solution to the possible closure of two area public schools.
Coun. Brian Barnim reported to county council last week that a number of possible actions are in the works after discussion with Doug Reycraft, the chairman of Community Schools Alliance.
“He had some good things to bring forward in terms of community and council action,” said Barnim. A number of draft motions for council’s consideration are now with the county’s administrator, Larry Adams.
Barnim, Adams, Warden Neil Vincent, Councillors Jim Ginn and Ben Van Diepenbeek and Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson took part in the conference call with Reycraft last week.
Van Diepenbeek said they now have a few leads to follow. For example, they will contact the former reeve of Arran-Elderslie, Ron Oswald, to find out how they kept the Chesley District High School from closing.
“It’s more about moral support from county council rather than going after the school board,” he said.
The call was scheduled after the Avon Maitland School Board staff presented a recommendation to the Accommodation Review Committee to close Holmesville Public School and Colborne Central Public School. The option would see students transferred to a combination of schools in Goderich and Clinton, with some transferring to Brookside Public School.
At that meeting, Barnim, who is the alternate municipal representative from Central Huron, got support from the committee to instead asked staff of the board for enrolment projections if students were consolidated into one of the two schools. If the numbers appear favourable, it may ask staff to explore the option further.
