By Staff
April 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and former member of the Halton District School Board Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) has released a comment on her position on the Report the Director of Education gave the trustees last Friday.
The Gazette asked for a comment last week – Meed Ward released her statement on her ward web site late yesterday. It reads:
Ward 2 city Councillor |Marianne Meed Ward was a member of the PARC.
I have taken some time to read and reflect on the report and the process to date, as a parent and as a former PARC member.
Let me start by saying my heart goes out to the Pearson and Bateman communities.The recommended option is undoubtedly devastating news. I toured each of the high schools along with other PARC members. Every school in Burlington is unique and offers something special to its students and communities. No one wants to see a school in their community closed. Any school closure is disruptive and represents a loss.
I came into this process with a commitment to do what is best for all our students, and have an open mind to new information. I have learned there is no perfect solution for the issues faced by the Board, and no solution without some impact on the community – even status quo.
There will be community disruption no matter what the final decision is, including closing no schools, since boundary changes would still be required to address over or under enrolment at four of our schools, effectively “closing” those schools to students who find themselves outside of redrawn boundaries.
Some options are better (or worse) than others, and I have discovered there is no consensus around any option, in the community, at the PARC or at the Board table. This will not be an easy decision for Trustees to make – nor should it be.
Whatever decision the Board of Trustees makes, we must work together as a community to ensure it is implemented with student welfare at the forefront, and ensure it improves the educational experience for all of our students for the long term.
Parents get to delegate to the trustees on May 8th and 11th.
This statement is in bad taste. Please dont say she is planning on running for Mayor. How many other conflict of interests could occur if she was Mayor.
Does this woman have children? Bateman was not even considered in the beginning, so why the switch?
RBH encompasses all walks of life and treats them fairly.
The amenities there are better than everywhere else also.
I would personally move to avoid sending my girls to anywhere but RBH, there is nowhere else that has what they offer
I sincerely hope that it dies not come to this, I know money talks ( switch of closure choice), but I. A couple of years the schools will be too full. I for one would NEVER vote for someone this fickle
MMW stated at a PARC meeting that CPP students were in a back hallway amongst offices. And the students came in the back door. That they would be better off at Nelson in a new wing. She better worry more then just the wards around Bateman and Pearson when she runs for mayor. Not all of us live in those wards.
Led the charge to re-direct the target rather than standing up for all students at all schools. This is not the behaviour of a leader. The selfish behaviour, combined with a complete lack of integrity, does not allow me to consider MMW for any political office. Disgraceful.
What was she doing on the PARC committee. It’s either a legal or ethical conflict of interest. This whole process makes me sick..
What a useless political response and this after a week to prepare. Why doesn’t she talk about possible better solutions and how she didn’t want to upset the more affluent areas.
Says she does not want to lose the Wards around Pearson and Bateman when she runs for Mayor – I had *HAD* a lot of respect for Marianne – this a best is a non response
Teri is bang on. What a crock…MMW and her group tossed Bateman under the bus to save themselves.
and to think there are those in our community that think she might make a good mayor? yikes…
Took her a week to come up with this weak response?
The Central group put forward the option to close Bateman that was what they thought was best option.
MMW stated at the first PARC meeting that she believed it was the only option that should be considered.
Only when public opinion switched to ‘no school closures’ did she start saying the same thing. Typical politician, talking out of both sides of her mouth.