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2- The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 22, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Recommendation disappoints Clearview Continued from page 1 ents holding signs Tuesday. "There are still a lot of events that can happen between now and the board's decision." The scenarios the PARC 14 committee is putting to the board are as follows: · JK-Grade 6 English schools are Linbrook, Chisholm and New Central. JK-Grade 6 French Immersion is Maple Grove. E.J. James would house Grade 7-8 dual track students. Brantwood would close. · JK-Grade 6 English schools are Brantwood, Maple Grove and Chisholm. JK-Grade 6 French Immersion is Linbrook. Grades 7-8 dual track at E.J. James. New Central would close. · JK-Grade 6 English schools are New Central, Maple Grove and Chisholm. JK-6 French Immersion is Linbrook. E.J. James would house Grade 7-8 dual track students. Brantwood would close. "I'm very proud of the committee members," said PARC 14 Chair Gerry Ockenden. "They had a tough job to do, and they tried to keep their focus on the community of southeast Oakville, not just their specific communities, and that was difficult." Halton District School Board spokesperson Marnie Denton says the report with these recommendations will be delivered to Director of Education Wayne Joudrie by March 6. It will then be reviewed by senior administration at the board before it's presented to the trustees. In the end, the decision is in the hand of trustees, who will have 30 days before making a final decision. In those 30 days, the public can be involved, says Ockenden. "The opportunity for the community to delegate the Board of Trustees is available down the road, and I expect that to happen." Residents can submit a written report, and will then be invited to make a presentation to trustees. Judging by the interest in the process, that's certain to happen, and not just to express support. While Tuesday's meeting saw members of the crowd give a standing ovation, not everyone was cheering. This issue has been divisive between the neighbourhood known as old Oakville, south of Cornwall Road, and the Clearview community to the north, as each battles for their interests. "I actually went home and cried last night (after the meeting)," said Denise O'Connell, a Clearview resident and member of the PARC committee. "I was really sad that people just didn't really seem to care about the kids." A mother of two whose oldest child is in senior kindergarten at Maple Grove, O'Connell says it's not that her neighbourhood won't get a school that bothers her about the recommendations. The issue she's concerned about is that smaller schools don't get funding for resources like a vice principal, library teacher or music specialist, as larger schools do. "Teacher librarians are huge ­ these are the people who are charged with promoting literacy in our schools, which is the most important thing our children can learn," she said. "Having music specialists, all these things are important." That point was echoed by PARC member and Clearview resident, Laura Mang, who said under the smaller three school scenario, students "are not getting the best that our educational system can offer." Mang said the PARC committee was told "that the best programming can be delivered through schools of 400, 500, 600," students, which "attract and maintain top staff" and "provide long-term stability." Mang said initially it seemed the committee was considering this as a top priority, but opinions shifted. "It was clear at the meeting (Tuesday night) that the initial values of the committee have changed for most of the members," she said. "It was clear that the value of balance fairness for all of Ward 3 only applies to the areas south of Cornwall. Programming is not being considered." DANIEL HO / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER HOMEWORK: Mark Caskenette hands out signs at a public meeting at Oakville Trafalgar High School. O'Connell said the presence of signs at Tuesday's meeting may have swayed voters. "I felt there were undecided votes among the committee, and those signs would have swayed them," she said. "There was clearly a lot of emotion in that room. I don't feel this is a decision that should be made with emotion. I think it needed to be a decision that was made with our heads and what's best for our kids." Caskenette, who created www.myoakville.org to advocate for saving southeast Oakville's schools, also believes the presence of many sign-holding parents at Tuesday's meeting may have made a difference. "Since it was the largest crowd that showed up to any PARC meeting, I do believe that had some influence on the delegates," he said. Caskenette said this large group assembled after the old Oakville community put together an advertisement in the Oakville Beaver on Saturday, and also dropped off flyers "to every home south of Cornwall over the long weekend," to encourage people to attend Tuesday's meeting. "I think what happened is a huge amount of awareness occurred," he said. Last Friday 1,700 unique visitors had visited his website. That number is now above 3,000. "We actually broadened the debate and did get a larger group of the community involved," said Caskenette. O'Connell believes that may well have been the deciding factor. "This was like Survivor," she said. "It wasn't that the person who won deserved to win. It was who outwitted, who outlasted and who outplayed. That's exactly what it was. The kids didn't win." Retiring? Recently Retired? Then you must attend! You're invited to surround yourself in the world of FABERGÉ. 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