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UG Board wants HST eliminated

November 26, 2014   ·   0 Comments

At its November 2014 meeting, held Tuesday night in Guelph, the Upper Grand District School Board decided that its Orangeville office should be renamed for Grant Evans, former director of the Dufferin Board of Education.

At the same meeting, the board approved a new, 495-pupil JK-grade 8 school to be constructed on Couling Crescent in the east end of Guelph.

Permission from the Ministry of Education had been obtained earlier this year to build the school, which is required due to accommodation pressures in East Guelph elementary schools.

The board also approved a number of principal and vice-principal transfers and appointments as of January 2015.

Among them, Dianna Secord, acting vice principal of Montgomery Village PS, has been taken off the “acting” list.

The Orangeville Board office will be renamed The Grant Evans Education Centre,  Mr. Evans having already accepted the honour.

Details of the re-naming celebration will be announced at a later date.

Two new policies were approved by the Board.  New policy #515, Learning Choices, establishes a policy and procedures for the board to consider new elementary and secondary programs with a special focus for students, providing them with more opportunities for learning.  The International Baccalaureate Program offered through GCVI is one of the programs covered by this policy, as are CELP and Headwaters (environmental programs).

Policy #304, Transportation was also amended.

This reduces the walking distance from 2.4 kilometres to 1.6 kilometres for grade 2 to grade 6 students beginning in September 2015.

Walking distances remain the same for the other grade groups.  The change will cost the board approximately $420,000 additional money, and 447 students will be affected, based on the current school year.

The board approved the writing of a letter from the Chair to Wellington County Council asking for flashing yellow lights to be installed to indicate the location of Brisbane PS on County Road 124.  At the school the shoulders are narrow, and speeding has increased as well as the amount of traffic on the road.

The issue of road and pedestrian safety is the County’s responsibility.  Parents will also be asked to delegate County Council on this issue.

Trustees also asked that the Chair’s letter to David Tilson, MP for Dufferin-Caledon, requesting the elimination of the Harmonized GST to all school boards, also be sent to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), all Ontario public school boards and all local MPs.

The final meeting of the 2010-14 Board will be held on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 as will the Inaugural Meeting of the 2014-18 Board.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Board will be held on December 16.  All meetings begin at 7:00 pm in the Board Room at the Guelph Board Office at 500 Victoria Road North.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

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