by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
PEMBROKE — Supporters of keeping Westmeath Public School open gave a final plea to the trustees of the Renfrew County District School Board at a special board meeting Monday night.
On Feb. 23, the trustees voted in favour of a student review of the school to make a decision if it should remain open or it should be closed. A Save Our School Committee was formed with parent Neil Nicholson at the helm. In March, a meeting was held by the committee to inform the public of what was happening. In April, the school board held an open-house style of meeting in Westmeath to answer questions that anyone may have one-on-one.
Monday night was an opportunity for anyone who wanted to speak to the trustees as a delegation to do so. On May 26, staff will provide the trustees with a final report, based on all the information received.
On Tuesday, May 31, at the regular board meeting, trustees will make a final decision regarding the future, or lack thereof, of Westmeath Public School.
Twelve people provided prepared statements to the trustees prior to the meeting and then read them during the meeting. The speakers were Melissa Dick and Crystal Neiman (read by Ms. Dick due to a death in Ms. Neiman’s family); Megan O’Connor; Marie Zettler; Brenda McGibbon-Lammi; Whitewater Region Mayor Hal Johnson, Barbara Teuthof and daughter Liselotte; Susan Bromley; Jeff Johnson; Rev. Anita Hollings and Mr. Nicholson.
While some of the pleas were of a personal nature, such as the six-year-old son of Ms. Dick who said, “If they close my school, then I quit school!” to the parent who volunteers because they live so close.
Melissa Dick noted she has volunteered at the school over the past four years.
“By having a smaller population, I have been able to interact with all the staff and students at Westmeath Public School,” she said. “Not only have I gotten to know the students and staff in the older grades, but so have my children. I have lost track of how many times I have been out with my family and students in the higher grades have said hello to myself and my children and know us all by name.”
Volunteering gives Ms. Dick the opportunity to pass along important qualities to her children, as she leads by example.
“Please don’t take this place of happiness away from us,” she pleaded.
Crystal Neiman wrote, “Centre for Public Education studies found that students with involved parents, no matter their income or background” had a better chance of going further and “I feel that I am able to do that (volunteer) in Westmeath. Because I live five minutes away from the school, I have the opportunity of being able to help out at the school. Beachburg is about a 15 to 20 minute drive, which will make it harder for me to volunteer.”
In his letter to the trustees, parent Ron Neiman expressed concern with the length of times very young students will be on busses. “Does this mean that when my four-year-old starts next year he could possibly have an extra 58 minutes added to what would have been a 10 minute bus ride? Would anyone on the school board feel comfortable putting their child on the bus for two hours a day?”
Ms. Dick then presented letters written by, and pictures drawn by, the students to the board.
Doug Gorringe said it’s easy enough to fill the school, considering 2.8 billion people can reach the school through the internet.
“Through the power of the internet we just need to find 150 students to fill Westmeath Public,” he said. “I believe we can achieve that in a relatively short period of time….There are a lot of things going for us because of the internet.”
People will become aware of Westmeath and what the area has to offer through the internet, he explained.
Marie Zettler, who helped fight and win the possible school closure back in 1977, noted her children began attending Westmeath Public School in 1974, when she and husband Ben moved to La Passe, which is where they decided to raise their children. While she noted that rural life isn’t for everybody, those who do choose it, shouldn’t be punished.
“Today, as in 1977, the majority of policy-makers do not perceive the option of a rural setting, which is not for everybody, it’s a decision they make, to raise a family as a value-based choice with advantages some parents want their children to experience,” she said. “Rather, it is seen as a default position for people who can’t “make it” anywhere else. This translates into the pro-numbers, pro-facility, bigger-is-better bias that has again brought us to the renewed threat of closure of our community school. The numbers of people who hold the bigger-is-better bias outnumber the ever-dwindling rural population. The resources to sustain that bias far outweigh the resources that can be accessed by those who recognize and choose the benefits of non-urban life.
“Those who see the rural way of life as regressive readily dismiss those who defend small schools, either as change-resistant “old stock” locals who can’t let go of their emotional attachment to a particular school, or as some kind of back-to-the-landers trying to live an impossible dream,” Ms. Zettler continued. “In either case, so the thinking goes, the children must be rescued from the deprivation their misguided parents are seeking to impose.”
However, Ms. Zettler also spoke about choice and focus.
“…the choice of the majority must be acknowledged, honoured and facilitated. That choice is: to have their children educated in their home community and in the environment which their parents have chosen for them. This choice will be simply swept away should this school close.
“The focus now must be on the way forward. I call on the RCDSB to one, halt immediately the progression toward the closure of Westmeath Public School to give families and the community time to explore with you options to address the funding crunch as outlined in your report. These options include co-operation with the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board. Two, take a realistic look at the true needs of this school community, with openness to new and creative ways to address these needs which build on existing strengths rather than destroying them, and three, speak out for rural values, and for a funding model that provides coterminous boards an incentive to collaborate on specialized programs, such as French immersion, while making it possible for Catholic families to exercise faith-based elements for their students within an environment that honours diversity and choice. Paying lip service to these values is not enough,” Ms. Zettler concluded.
Brenda McGibbon-Lammi, who has a Master’s Degree in pediatric therapy and a degree in Physical and Health Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Health, both from the Queen’s University, is concerned with how closing this small, rural school will affect the mental health of the children.
She reminded the trustees about a strategy it released on Feb. 20, 2015: Promoting and Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being: A Three Year Strategy, which outlines priorities committed to by the RCDSB to promote mental health for students. The strategy indicates that a significant protective factor for mental health is the implementation of educational best practices and that there is a positive correlation between mental health and academic success, she said. This means that kids who do well in school are more likely to be mentally healthy. Research shows that small classes result in learning gains with the biggest improvements being seen in earlier grades. These advantages have a lasting benefit into the later years of students’ lives. This means that small class sizes positively impact academic success, not just now but into the future. Increasing class sizes, on the other hand, increases risk factors of mental illness.
Evidence shows that the closing of WPS will reduce the protective factors for student’s mental health and increase the risk factors – which are already elevated due to our geographical location, Ms. McGibbon-Lammi said. In summary, evidence shows that the closing of WPS will: decrease academic performance; decrease physical activity time; decrease sleep time and decrease family time.
Ms. McGibbon-Lammi also outlined “gaps and errors” in the review provided by the board.
She noted the Ontario Ministry of Education’s mental health strategy is titled “Open Minds; Healthy Minds.”
“I encourage the Board to consider, with open minds, alternative solutions to closing Westmeath Public School,” Ms. McGibbon-Lammi said. “Solutions that would address the budget issues and also keep the school open and vibrant.”
She then quoted George Bernard Shaw, who said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
Ms. McGibbon-Lammi said, “Using your strategic leadership role and skills, you set an example for all of Ontario on how a Board of Education can champion change by working with engaged communities, families and parents to create an environment of learning that cultivates healthy children, prevents negative impacts of a broken education system, and enables students to reach their maximum potential. This can be your legacy.”
Mother and daughter Barbara and Lisa spoke about their experiences with large and small schools. Barbara, her husband and their two daughters immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in 2002.
“I have personally experienced going to a school with 30-plus students in my class and not feeling noticed much,” Barbara said. “There were hardly any interactions with the other grades which made you feel secluded and alienated from the other age groups.”
She recalled that during her first visit to Canada, there was one noticeable difference between the youth in the Netherlands and Canada – the Canadian youth seemed more helpful, polite and sociable.
When the family immigrated from the Netherlands, they visited Westmeath Public School and, she said, “It was love at first sight for me.”
The children were all interacting with each other and there was plenty of room inside and outside for sports and play, the mother recalled.
“Westmeath Public School was the perfect school for my children and that is why we decided to live in Westmeath, Ontario,” Barbara said.
Daughter Lisa thanked the presenters as well as the trustees for their time to discuss this important issue.
“I hope you will keep the best interests of the children in mind during what I have to share,” she said. “This is a very dear cause for me because as a former student of Westmeath Public School, I can honestly say the benefits this school gave me are priceless.”
She recalled leaving Westmeath Public School to attend Grade 5 in a Pembroke elementary school because she wanted to be in French immersion. However, a year later she returned to Westmeath.
“My first impressions of the school (in Pembroke) was that the students were, on average, much more disrespectful and vulgar,” she said. “There was a lot of swearing, fighting and negativity. I would owe this behaviour to the size of the school. I believe that because there were so many more children, they felt a need to be acknowledged by their peers, and these were the easiest means to do that.”
Lisa, a university student now, strongly believes it would not be in the children’s best interests, or the community’s best interest, to close Westmeath Public School.
“Please take our view into consideration, because the school is there for the children and an investment in Canada’s future,” Lisa said.
Mayor Hal Johnson spoke about how the closure of the school would impact the community.
“The closing of Westmeath Public School will end 110 years of tradition in this small rural community…and have a lasting negative economic impact far into the future,” he said. “The 2,400 people who live in this area view the school as the centre of their community.
“Township council is asking you to slow down this process and not rush into a decision that will impact Westmeath for the next 110 years.
“Whitewater Region council is asking you to help this community access some of the $90 million that the Ministry of Education is investing in supporting the use of schools as community hubs to help schools better serve students, families and communities,” the mayor continued.
“Premier Kathleen Wynne states that her government is committed to continuing to engage collectively with our partners to build on the strengths of our partnerships. This will further improve community access to schools to support the communities they serve, as well as supporting our vision for Ontario as the best place to live, work and raise a family.
“The notion of closing Westmeath Public School is the exact opposite of the Premier’s statement,” Mayor Johnson said.
Mayor Johnson asked the trustees to consider delaying the closure of the school for five years.
“Closing a school in a fast track move is total disrespect to families and our future,” the mayor stated.
Alumni Susan Bromley spoke about the value of Westmeath Public School as it relates to a non-academic setting and the role that plays in the trustees’ consideration as to whether or not to close this rural school. She addressed the value of the school for students and future students, noting that school is the primary conduit through which children get to know their neighbours and their community.
Ms. Bromley spoke about how the students are actively involved in their community, whether it be through the active participation in the yearly Remembrance Day service, participation in religious activities, interaction with the people and businesses in Westmeath, the value of intergenerational interaction, the value of learning to give back to their community through the school, the value of less time on a bus and the value of riding bikes to school, like she did as well as her nieces and nephews.
Under the Ministry of Education Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines, it states, “Ontario’s school boards are responsible for deciding the most appropriate pupil accommodation arrangements for the delivery of their elementary and secondary programs,” she said. “These decisions are made by school board trustees in the context of carrying out their primary responsibilities of 1) fostering student achievement, 2) and well-being and 3) ensuring effective stewardship of school board resources.”
Ms. Bromley noted that not one of the three primary responsibilities is more important than the other two, but the trustees must consider the effect of possible school closures on student well-being and academic achievement, and it would be inappropriate for a school board to give more weight to its financial viability than the value of a school to the well-being of its students.
Jeff Johnson, who is a contractor and lives in Beachburg, shared some “interesting numbers” with the trustees. He noted in the Five Year Projection of Major Improvements report he received regarding figures for upgrading the school, $8,736 was the cost to perform a Foundation Study and the same amount for a Drilled Well study. And, if you put a zero on the end of that number, that’s the anticipated cost of replacing a well, he said.
Mr. Johnson said, “My favourite number has to be $10,920, as it surfaces no less than six times in Year One’s anticipated expenses. $10,920 to repair the exterior bricks. $10,920 to paint the concrete floors. $10,920 to replace the water heater. $10,920 for a piping system replacement study. $10,920 for a branch wiring replacement study, and of course $10,920 to pave the parking lot.”
Mr. Johnson also said $85,000 to replace the doors in the school is very inflated, noting each door would cost about $1,000 and there are definitely not 85 doors in the school.
“It is my professional opinion that the Five Year Projection of Major Improvements is nothing more than an inaccurate and seemingly random collection of numbers under construction sounding headings,” Mr. Johnson stated. “If I had hired and paid an engineering firm to perform this assessment, I would be returning it and demanding my money back. And there is absolutely no way I would ever let it be used for making critical decision.”
Using these figures to determine if the school should be closed is not right, Mr. Johnson said.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ask you to make a decision that will significantly affect hundreds of people and a community itself without at least providing you accurate information to reference,” he said.
(After the meeting, Lisa Schimmens, Superintendent of Corporate Services, said the figures Mr. Johnson used were provided by an engineer from the consulting firm hired by the Ministry of Education, not a firm hired by the Renfrew County Board of Education.
While the board did have its own figures, they were provided to Mr. Nicholson, chair of SOS, not to Mr. Johnson.
Ms. Schimmens also noted that a board tradesperson accompanied the ministry’s engineer. However, it’s the ministry’s consultant who gives an expert opinion on what needs to be done to the ministry’s standard.)
Rev. Anita Hollings of Elim Pentecostal Church in Westmeath noted that a rural school provides a safety net for students.
“The child who is struggling to read is passed over for three or four years until they are so far behind that it creates severe challenges to their education,” she said. “In a small school setting, students who are struggling are less likely to fall between the cracks and be overlooked. In a larger school setting the focus is often upon those who are excelling and others melt into the background.”
Rev. Hollings also noted that students in small schools learn compassion for others. She recalled 19 years ago when the church began a Kids Club.
“I had always believed that everyone had to be in their separate age groups in order to learn,” she said. “What a shock it was to discover that despite the challenges of the age span at Kids Club, children were learning and enjoying it. I was amazed at the level of care and compassion the young children received from the older one.
“The children of our community are quick to help someone struggling to keep up in a competitive game, which is something I have not seen before in a school setting, and give encouragement instead of ridicule. I have witnessed children coming to the defence of one who is being bullied and resolving it amongst themselves before it manifests into a huge problem. I think this is a life skill that is desperately needed in our society.”
Rev. Hollings said to lose the school is like losing the heart of the community.
“The closure of this school would greatly impact our entire community, including businesses, churches, our arena and our Catholic School,” she said. “Having a public school is a central factor in attracting new families with children and keeping them in the area.
“It seems that our rural communities are being crushed out and swallowed up and a unique school experience will soon be lost to future generations. Is this really a decision we want to make?” she questioned.
Neil Nicholson was the final speaker, giving a personal perspective, some information about the SOS committee and how it reflects the strong fabric of the community and some considerations for the decision to be made on May 31.
The considerations were:
Recognize the strength of our community’s social fabric and the important relationship that our school plays in keeping our community – and our students – resilient to disasters like we have seen in northern Alberta.
Recognize the social values and non-academic experience that our community school provides to both our youth and our community at large. Although we cannot place a value on this input to our society, it represents a valuable life-long asset to our municipality, county and province. We need to measure success in more than occupancy rates and distances between schools. As our Director of Education Roger Clarke has stated – we want to cultivate learning environments that value imagination and innovation.
Recognize the strength of our community organizations who, if given the time and mentoring of our municipality and county, could help find other viable solutions for the school board to reduce costs or lease excess space.
Acknowledge that the greater education system and our different boards can do more to work together to keep our 110 youth in our two schools in our community. Failing that, they will all be consolidated outside of our community. Our Ministry of Education will not direct this to happen, it can only change through the efforts of our greater community of trustees –Whitney Public School is such an example of the imagination, innovation and co-operation needed to support the long term sustainment of our small communities and their schools.
Mr. Nicholson thanked the trustees for their patience, as well as the work they do for the communities they serve.
Closing the meeting, board chair Mr. Shields thanked the group for how respectful they have acted throughout the difficult process. There were a variety of different ideas brought forward through the various presentations from throughout the community, including the school, business people, alumni, grandparents and the mayor of the municipality, he said.
“Thank you for your input,” Mr. Shields said. “You have put a lot of work into these presentations.”
There will be a staff report issued on May 26. Trustees will make a final decision at the board meeting on Tuesday, May 31.
