lO-The Canadian Champion, Friday, June 25, 2004i A COU~Ry ,-Catho1ic trustees approve school Furnliture, Home Acccritc & G If closure policy to serve as a guide ANNUAL GARAGE SALE ONE PAY ONLYI 5ATU IPAY JUNE 26th ,9 am-l1pmi V 5cratch & Dent V End of Llnee AT GREATLY REDUCEP F'RCE5 COME EARLY FOR tBE5T 5ELEC11ON CA5H ONLY on Garaqe Sale lterne Carrialle 51uare 9O5-b7b-107O UyAdMâ4"ù Special ta The Champion For the last decade, Halton 's Catholic board has been in the enviable position of being able to build new schools in most of the growth areas of the region. With its sehools filled 10 capacity, the board had access to provincial money that allowed il 10 construct new buildings quickly and easily. However, the pain-free days for Catholic students and parents may be over. Last week, trustees approved a policy 10 guide the Catholic board as it contemplates sehool consolidations and closures in the coming years. The policy, which outlines the steps that wiIl be undertaken before a sehool is closed, received a significant amount of input from the sehool community, Assistant Superinlendent Gary Mahoney told trustees. 'he policy calîs for the board's director of education t0 present an annuai report to trustees each September rccommending schools 10 be considered for closure or consolidation. Sehools would be put on the potential closure list if they met a vaniety of cnîteria, including Iow enrolment, high on-going maintenance costs or inadequate facilities 10 deliver programs. 1-11-1119 the diectoi 's report, trustees May establish sehool accommodation study groups (SASG) t0 look at possible closures, consulî with community mcmn- bers and make recommendations 10, the board's director of education. The policy calîs for Uic director 10 report back to, trustees wiUi recommendations by the last sehool day in April. The sehool board will then sehedule meetings 10 gaUier public input, prior 10 making a decision on closures by June 30. Any sehool closures approved would be schedulcd for the end of thc following sehool year. Mr. Maboncy tbld trustees Uiat the poli- cy bad received a -very wide, Uiorough distribution and public vettmng," wiUi a number of changes resulting from Uic pub- lic consultation process. 'Me policy follows the Long Term Acconmmodation Plan commissioned by Uic sehool board 10 forecast Uic board's faciliîy needs Urough 10 2023. Rcceivcd by Uic board carlier in Uic year, il includes a series of recommendations outlining where new schools should be built and where oUiers should be closed, consolidated or moved. As early as 2007, Uiat report recom- mends some fairly dramatie changes, including the consolidation of some O.akville clceinenary schools and the rclo- cation of Burlingîon's Assumption high school. Completcd by the consulîing firm C.N. Watson and Associates, the plan predicîs the Caîholie board wîll be impacled by slowing enrohnent growth over Uic next 20 years. Whiile a 17 per cent growth in enrol- ment is still expected, Uiat's less rapid growth Uian the board bas been experiene- ing over Uic last decade. Sti11, Uic plan calîs for Uic board 10 spend almost $273 million ho construct new sehools and renovate or enlarge existmng facilities over Uic next lwo decades. Milton, which will sec a new elementary sehool open ils doors Uiis September, is scheduled to gel another new sehool in Uic urban expansion area in 2007. Howcver, Uic same lime period would sec St. Peler's Sehool closed. ln 2009, the report suggests closmng Our Lady of Victory Sehool and building a new elementary school ini Uic town's urban expansion area. A second new clementary sehool would be built in Uic growth area of Uic town Uic followmng year. The report suggesîs a I 6-classroom addi- tion should be planned for Bishop Reding Secondary Sehool in 2014, along wiUi a two-classroom addition 10 Uie elementary seoo sheuld pe UisSetMbUR. JUNE 2004 21 22 O THIS MONDAI 5 12 19 26 To know when and where to vote, consult your voter information card. It includes aIl the information youli need to use your right to vote, and you'Ill et throuqh the votinq process more quickly if you have it with you. Votlnq hours for your poîlinq station are indicated on your voter information card and on the Elections Canada Web site at www.elections.ca by clickinq on the Voter Information Service icon. If you haven't received this card, you are probably not on the voters list. To be able to vote, ail you have to do is go to your polling station on election day and present an officiai document that includes your name, address and signature. 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