Ontario Community Newspapers

Terrace Bay News, 4 May 1983, p. 1

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And a unanimous decision ends the two year battle over the Schreiber School Closure. From left to right: George Bodak, Manitouwadge, Jim Figliomeni, Terrace Bay, A Night to Remember Manitouwadge Manitouwadge. Wednesday, May 4, 1983 Don Burton, Schreiber, Larry Urbanowski, and Andree Desilets, Schreiber School stays open The two year battle over the high school in Schreiber ended last week as the Lake Super- ior Board of Educa- tion voted to throw out its previous Motion clos- ing the building at the end of June of this year. The cheering crowd of over 300 people' pack- ed into the gymnasium of the Schreibr school for the vote stood to give a sustained round of ap- plause to the Board members as they voted to save the school. The Closure Motion was replaced with two other motions. The first said, "'It is the policy of this Board to offer and maintain elementary and secondary educa- tion in each of the com- munities of Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Mara- thon and Manitouwadge from Junior Kinder- garten to grade 13 in- clusive." The second motion was taken directly from the Report of the Com- mission of Inquiry into the Schreiber contro- versy. "That the Board maintain the two cam- pus high school or- ganization of Lake Su- perior High School." Both motions passed unanimously. Only nine of the four- teen Board members at- tended the meeting in Schreiber. The absent Trustees were Joan Nugent and Gerry Ar- mour of Terrace Bay, Bob Cheetam and Pat Richardson of Mara- thon, and Marg Cole of Manitouwadge. At the Board's last regular meeting in Marathon on April 18, Trustee Bob Cheetam read a letter on behalf of the five Trustees. The letter said that the five Trustees would not at- tend the Tuesday night meeting in Schreiber un- less they were assured before the meeting that any motion passed by the Board about keeping the school open would be tied to receiving ad- ditional funding from the provincial govern- ment first. Cheetam said, "Surely it is in the best interests of all that the Lake Superior Board unanimously support such a motion, rather than continue the tra- ditional controversial split at the Board table." Trustee Cheet- am went on to give a Notice of Motion tying the retention of the Schreiber Campus to re- ceiving additional fund- ing from the province. The Notice of Motion is a procedural device that officially informs the other Board members that a member intends to move a motion at the next meeting and allows the other members time to be prepared to dis- cuss it. After the Marathon meeting an obviously ir- ritated Trustee from Schreiber said, "This puts us as a Board in an impossible situation. We are supposed to go to Schreiber to discuss the pros and cons of the whole issue and then vote on the question. Any Trustee is free to put forward any motion they feel is appropriate and have it put to a vote, but they obviously don't feel comfortable with the democratic process. They only want their Motion on the floor and if it's not going to pass they are not coming. If we as a Board don't play by their rules, they are going to pick up their ball and bat and go home."' Board Chairman Mike Reid opened the meet- ing in Schreiber with some introductory re- marks and_ then said, "As you are probably aware we have receiv- ed three Notices of Mo- tion. As they all refer to keeping this school open we first have to consi- der rescinding the pre- vious Motion closing the school."' Trustee George Bo- dak from Manitouwadge moved that any motions closing the Schreiber school be rescinded. The motion was seconded by Trustee Jim Figlio- meni from Terrace Bay. The motion was put to a vote and passed unani- mously. Chairman Mike Reid then gave the floor to the Trustees in the order in which their Notices of Motion had been re- ceived. Manitouwadge Trus- tee George BodaK,. sec- onded by Terrace Bay Trustee Jim Figliomeni, moved the motion es- tablishing a Board policy of offering and main- taining elementary and secondary education in all four towns. Bodak said, "In order for a community to be a com- - munity it must have an elementary school and a high school." The motion was passed unanimously. Schreiber Trustee Tim Delaney moved the mo- tion containing the Allan Report recommenda- tion that the Board maintain the two cam- pus organization of Lake Superior High School. Delaney said, "This Mo- tion effectively con- cludes the whole de- bacle and controversy over the Schreiber Cam- pus Closure. Hopefully, as a Board, we will be able to move on to the. business we were elect- ed to perform. The busi- ness of education. Hope- fully, the Board will be able to work together for that as well." Schreiber Trustee Don Burton said, "In June of 1981 this school was targeted for Clo- sure. Subsequently the Closure was delayed un- til June 1983. I sat on the Schreiber School Closure Committee and went through volumes of material. The recom- continued on page 16 Schreiber Kinsmen President Dave Kay presents Schreiber Recreation Committee Chairperson Irene Borutski with a cheque for $1,068 towards the purchase of new playground equipment. The funds were raised jointly during the NHL Oldtimer's Game. Terrace Bay Council A Minute of Silence The Terrace Bay Council met for its regu- lar meeting on Monday, April 25, in the Council Chambers. Reeve Dave Speer chaired the meet- ing with Councillors Ol- lie Chapman, Bill Hous- ton, George Ramsay and Joe Kennedy present. Reeve Speer opened the meeting by saying, 'We have all suffered a great loss with the death of Bill Hanley. I hope that we will all be able to carry through. It will be difficult for some of us. We will take a Minute of Silence in memory of Bill Hanley."' The Council maintain- ed a Minute of Silence and then went on to carry out the regular meeting. Under consi- deration of the Minutes of the last regular meet- ing on April 11, Coun- cillor Joe Kennedy said, "T have a question. I was Jooking at the ad tendering the breaking up of the pool deck. The ad did not include taking away the debris. I thought that was in- cluded in the Motion we passed." The Deputy Clerk informed the Council that the Rec- reation Director had pre- ferred to have only the breaking up in the tender and intended to have students remove the debris. Councillor Chapman said that she was pre- ferred to move. an amendment to the mo- tion authorizing the work if it was required. Reeve Speer said, "'I think we are talking about semantics here. The motion authorizes both the tendering of the breaking up and the removal. We have cho- sen to only tender. the breaking up and not the removal. Nothing has been added to the motion. I do not see the problem them." Coun- cillor George Ramsay concurred, "Why don't we just leave it like it is. If there is a problem we can deal with it then."' Councillor Bill Hous- ton asked, "Have we done anything with Phillips, Wilson and Milton, the surveyors."' Councillor Houston that the area of land the sru- veyors will be dealing with has not yet been defined by the Council. Reeve Speer said, '"We are going to have to talk further with Kimberly- Clark about the bounda- ries. So far we have just a verbal committment from them." Councillor Ollie Chapman added, "I think the first step is to get a letter of comm- ittment from KC. Do we really have a need for this work just now."' Speer replied, "In the 'continued on page 2: The North Western Ontario Municipal Recreation Association opened it's Annual Conference in Terrace Bay over the weekend. Forty five delegates from Hornepayne to Dorion attended the two day Conference which began Friday evening and concluded Saturday night with a banquet at Birchwood Terrace. From left to right Terrace Bay Rec: Director Terry Bryson, Rec Committee Chairman Ernie Kettle, Clay Pettapiece of Manitouwadge and Ollie Chapman, President of the Ontario Recreation Association. ge

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