(Aired January 22, 2010)
How do you tell parents passionate about their children and their children's education that their arguments are falling on deaf ears? And I don't mean that critically. But the school reconfiguration process has degenerated into an "us versus them" mentality that is really doing no one any good.
Last night, one parent at John Tod accused Arthur Hatton of being a bad school by virtue of its higher failure rate. The parent used those statistics to try and argue Arthur Hatton students should go to John Tod and not the other way around. That's an irrational approach that doesn't hold any water, especially since the Board's plan is to put a brand new school up because the two current schools have declining enrollments and need to be consolidated to continue to provide proper education. How do you tell parents your passionate arguments are fine, but they aren't going to change the fact that the School District needs to make changes, not just to balance their budget, but to do what's best for education in the face of declining enrollment.
While some parents, such as the man who ripped into the School Board for putting the reconfiguration plan forward in the first place, have great intentions, their logic is misguided. I agree with the parent that the provincial funding of education is part of the problem, it's by no means the entire problem. As neighbourhoods change, education changes. And that's just a fact of life. It may mean, in some cases, kids have to walk further to school. It may mean, in the case of programs like French Immersion, that kids have to get driven or take the bus to school. These changes are not exciting, but in some cases they are necessary. That's simply the way things are. For people to expect the status quo will remain forever is just pie in the sky thinking.
The Board has some tough decisions to make. Parents have tough decisions to make. I don't envy either side their task. But change is inevitable, and perhaps the best thing to do is embrace it and find ways to make it work, instead of lamenting it and fighting it. That battle is one that isn't winnable.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
So people should just lay down and let the provincial government with the aide of local school trustees continue to dismantle our education system?
ReplyDeleteWhat about the fact that school's are also economic drivers? In fact, a school in a neighbourhood increases property values, adds to the residents and attracts families. These families spend money at local retailers and add increased value to an area. Whereas the removal, or moving, of a school can have a disastrous effect on a community. It has been shown to drive people away, lowering spending and closing local retailers. This then turns these vibrant areas into ghettos and slums.
Maybe we should look at a positive policy of attracting families to these areas. Shouldn't we give a policy that builds and strenghtens neighbourhoods, instead of a slash and burn approach???