The Paisley Advocate May 2017 Page 1 Prou of Our Community, Prou of Our 1eritage Paisley % District Chamber Of Commerce - May 2017 - .olume 160 2ascally 2abbits O3erwun PCS For Easter, one of the S pirit Days at Paisley Central was —Be a Bunny Day“. Shown here are Lilly Petrik (left) an Sophie Gibbons (right), all resse up for the occasion. New Lease on Life for Paisley Central School hanks to a lot of hard work by solid support$ the audience was very positive. details of the agreement are finali:ed. T many community members and The second condition is that an 8eeping a school in Paisley has been There is a role for everyone in the our local council, Paisley Central agreement be developed with the ob1ective since September 6 and community to keep our school alive School (PCS) has a new life! community partners to help offset that ob1ective will have been met and well. Part of the reason that P S It didn’t seem likely on September capital cost repairs that are needed at when the -/.S- conditions are was given a window of opportunity is 6, 2016 that PCS would continue to be the school. 4igh priority items satisfied. because of the potential for growth a vibrant part of our community identified by -/.S- staff include a /hile this is welcome news, related to the -ruce Power beyond June, 2018. On Tuesday, April new roof, repaving the bus loop, understandably, there was some refurbishment pro1ect. P S needs 18, 2017, Bluewater District School walkway repairs and replacement of concern e7pressed that the community more students, and everyone is Board (BWDSB) Trustees voted to some electrical e5uipment. An will be re5uired to fund some capital encouraged to be a community give PCS a five year window of agreement regarding the capital offset repairs at the school. In a perfect ambassador to help attract new opportunity until June of 2022. costs needs to be in place by March of world, this would not be necessary. families and businesses to Paisley. At a public meeting on April 6 at 2019. 4owever, this is the reality of keeping ommunity development is Paisley Legion, information was The details of those conditions P S alive and well, so the community essential for the future growth of provided for community members will be part of negotiations between of Paisley will rally to achieve that Paisley, so please get involved in outlining the two major conditions that -/.S- and AE staff with some input ob1ective in partnership with -/.S-. some way. It can be as simple as BWDSB has attached to that window from community members. At press There has been a positive change in helping a new neighbor settle in to life of opportunity. time, there has not been a meeting the tone of communications with in Paisley or offering volunteer time to The first is in regards to operating between AE and -/.S- to begin -/.S- lately and it is anticipated various groups such as the hamber of budget challenges at PCS. The formulating those agreements. that negotiations will result in a fair ommerce, Rotary lub, Royal Municipality of Arran2Elderslie (AE) There was considerable discussion and reasonable agreement being anadian 0egion, or church groups, to has offered to lease two classrooms for at the public meeting on April 6 to reached. A non2profit corporation, name 1ust a few. five years to relieve some pressure on clarify the -/.S- conditions and the 9Paisley entral School Preservation There are lots of people who have the operating budget. AE has also ne7t steps re5uired to ensure that P S ,rgani:ation; (P SP,) is being a passion for living in Paisley. offered to provide snow removal and remains open until 2022 and beyond. formulated to work with AE and 4elping them, helps you. grass cutting at the school for that /hile there are still many unanswered -/.S- to facilitate this partnership. period. Many thanks to AE for their 5uestions, the general reaction from Further updates will be provided as Ken Cormack Page 2 The Paisley Advocate May 2017 Letters to the E itor Top Down or Bottom 6p - 2ho7s Listening8 t has taken the -luewater .istrict community$ I School -oard a mere 5 months to I have attended 3 of the 4 public decide the fate of our communities – 9accommodation review; meetings. hesley, Paisley and Markdale. Their Reading about the final meeting in local decisions relating to schools will have newspapers gives you the conclusions long lasting conse5uences for students, reached. I’d like to give you a glimpse parents, local businesses, real estate into the actual meeting. Eear the prices, potential development and beginning a grade 11 student, a well possibly healthcare as well. spoken thoughtful young woman, talked Chesley 1igh School stu ents brought their protest signs to PCS for the E ucation -y now you will have read in about her e7perience this year in the Minister7s 3isit. photo: teve Da ilva several local newspapers the motions newly amalgamated high school in presented to and voted on by the trustees ,wen Sound. She had transferred from taken away from other schools. For a Eear the end of the -/.S- at the -oard meeting last Tuesday, April . thinking there would be better mere H50,000 (less than half of the meeting on April 18th, hair Ron Mot: 18th and the results. Paisley entral opportunities. 4er observations and salary of a number of BWD B senior reminded trustees of the 9photo Public School will remain open until e7perience – the amalgamation of two staff I can’t resist noting) he would vote opportunity; for them when the Minister )une 30th, 2019 only if money for school populations into one has caused to close a schoolB 4e did mention that of Education came to Paisley and capital cost e7penditures is in place by overcrowding in hallways, the cafeteria this is 9because of the 5uirkiness of the Markdale. /hat about hesleyB Mou March 31st of that year. -eavercrest and the auditorium where two funding formula.; IuirkinessB 4ow kind of have to go by or through or near Public School in Markdale also has a assemblies are necessary instead of one about a flawed, unfair funding formula enough to hesley that it would have brief reprieve until )une 30th, 2018 and to accommodate all studentsA although that does not take into account the been possible for a stop at the only again, if funds are not in place by March there are more courses on offer, the realities of rural ,ntario. 4is school in our town. /hose idea was it 31st of that year it too faces closure. reality is that it is difficult to get the conclusion: 9Therefore I will vote not to visitB It would have also been an And what about hesley .istrict course you want and it’s hard to get into against keeping hesley open.; 4e did opportunity for the minister to ommunity School 2 e7tracurricular activities again due to say how 9humbled; he was by all the appreciate the distances our students the school that only 3 years ago had numbersA she misses the community community support. 4owever it is hard actually travel to get to school. Mind 4 million dollars spent on feeling of a small school. to believe this as he has ignored and you, better that we put her on a school renovations to accommodate 9,vercrowding and lack of dismissed every argument and all bus for that, preferably in winter$$ students from kindergarten through opportunities affect student morale.; presentations by the hesley AR . The -luewater .istrict School grade 12A This student concluded that 9School Since this deeply flawed process (or -oard trustees have a responsibility to the school that has the highest boards should not be run like e7ercise in futility known as 9AR;) stand up for its students and rural academic rating of any high school businesses, we’re not products, we’re began, I have spoken on a daily basis to communities with the Ministry of within the -/.S- according to the people; and that 9the -luewater .istrict people I meet when walking downtown. Education and with the 0iberal Fraser ReportA School -oard and its trustees need to I have asked students, parents, seniors, government of ,ntario as our Member the school that has a specialist stand up for its students and their business owners, kids working at the of Parliament -ill /alker has tried to agricultural programB families.; grocery store and farmers what they do. -y not standing up for us, it is The trustees have accepted the Ron Mot:, the hair of the think about the possible loss of our high condoning an unfair and flawed policy recommendation of senior school board Trustees, asked to be temporarily school. Eot one of them thought it was that will destroy the future of our small staff that the high school close effective removed from his duties as chair so that a good idea or helpful. I spoke with a towns. If they will not stand up on their this year. he could speak to the issue of the student who was one of the several own, then we need to help them. If this is allowed to happen, then the elimination of high school at . 9I do:en students who went to Paisley ontact your trustee now. Say E, to class of 2017 will be the last to graduate have to make decisions that are best for school this past /ednesday to protest school closures within -/.S-$ from our school. hesley has had a high all the students...programming in and who saw Education Minister Mit:ie There is so much more to say about school since 1899.