County of Simcoe Supports Community Schools Alliance

Midhurst/ July 24, 2009 – The County of Simcoe announced today Warden Tony Guergis’ as a founding member of the Community Schools Alliance. This new Alliance will spearhead efforts to have municipalities become partners with school boards in making decisions about where new schools are built and where schools are closed.

“I am honoured and pleased to be a part of this initiative working together for the betterment of education for all residents of Ontario,” stated Warden Guergis. “There is a strong need for municipal leaders to get involved and to work in co-operation with local school boards. Our schools are important assets in our public infrastructure and we believe that municipalities, parents and students should have a strong voice at the table where school accommodation decisions are made.”

The Community Schools Alliance, chaired by Doug Reycraft, Mayor of South West Middlesex in Middlesex County and former president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, is asking Ontario’s Minister of Education to impose a ‘smart moratorium’ on school closings. The moratorium would enable the Ministry, school boards and municipalities to work together to develop policies addressing such issues as declining enrolments, funding for rural and small community schools and the working relationship between municipalities and school boards.

“I am pleased that Doug Reycraft is chairing this committee. I have worked with Doug in the past and have tremendous respect for his abilities and I look forward to his leadership in respect to this issue,” said Guergis.

The Community Schools Alliance was formed recently by Simcoe County and other Ontario municipalities concerned that municipalities do not currently have an active role in the process used by school boards to make decisions about student accommodation, especially school closures. There are currently 100 schools in Ontario undergoing accommodation reviews and 146 schools scheduled for closing or recommended to be closed.

“As a member of the Community Schools Alliance, the County has a tremendous opportunity to be involved in this important process and to be at the table when the discussions take place and decisions are made,” stated Warden Guergis. “Residents in many Simcoe County communities including Springwater, the City of Barrie, Clearview, Penetanguishene and Wasaga Beach have education delivery concerns. There are challenges with the current process and by working together with the Community Schools Alliance, we can resolve these issues."

In addition to his role on the new Alliance, Warden Guergis will continue to work with the Simcoe County District School Board to address provincial funding inequities for education across the region. Board trustees have accepted the County’s offer to form a working group and to request a review of education funding levels.

“We are working together with our partners in order to bring recognition to funding issues from a regional perspective,” concluded Warden Guergis. “Simcoe County has been consistently at the bottom of the provincial funding scale and we need to be addressing our concerns as regional service providers. When we act together we have a stronger voice.”

For more information about the Community Schools Alliance visit communityschoolsalliance.ca.

The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.