The final public meeting concerning the CBE recommendation to close Queensland Downs was held last night. I want to give a quick synopsis and make some comments about it.
Firstly, what a great turn out. It was amazing to see so much engagement and commitment surrounding our schools. There were a large number of parents from QLD and from Haultain. Thank you to everyone who showed up to support their school. There were many parents from Haultain. I even saw a significant number of Haultain's staff attending - an incredible display of consideration and dedication!
All the Trustees but one were on hand to listen to the comments and questions from the community concerning the recommendation... and there were many comments,
the meeting went from 7 to 10 pm. The comments and questions ranged from well thought out ideas agreeing or disagreeing with the proposal to very strange political rants from members of the community who seemed eager for a microphone and a captive audience. Odd personal agendas aside - the evening was a good showcase that explored the ins and outs of most of the issues surrounding this closure.
Some of the highlights included; a request to change the allocation area to include Deer Ridge Estates on the north side of Canyon Meadows, questions concerning choice of schools for those on the border line or who didn't want to take a bus, a clarification that Haultain's gym was the same size as QLD's, concerns about the empty school and vandalism were brought up, and an impassioned plea to find alternatives to closing a school was a common theme as well, and a wonderful moment when a parent who has moved on to McKenzie Towne read letters outlining their welcoming experiences at Haultain. A particular highlight for me was the number of younger people who attended and had the maturity to stand up to the mic and ask their questions or make their comments. One student even called out Stephan's flip comment about wearing a hat in the cold weather - its great to see such confidence in our kids.
I'm not sure that there were any moments of epiphany for the CBE administration, it seems that the CEOP group had all the issues in hand and were mostly well addressed.
Thank you to all the Haultain parents who answered the call and came out to support our school. The night wasn't an 'us or them' discussion and Haultain didn't need to be defended in any way. That said, the support of the school wasn't lost on the Trustees or the members of QLD who may be joining us in September. Hopefully the support shown by our parents will be an illustration of the care and pride we have for Haultain and may lessen any potential stress about the nature of our school community.
The meeting was informative and clearly outlined the issues regarding the proposal to close Queensland Downs. I think Phil Carlton, the Meeting Chair, did a good job at addressing the issues, listening to the comments, answering the questions and keeping the evening moving at a good pace. I feel for the families at Queensland Downs who are having to face uncertainty, change and possible school closure. In the event that this proposal goes through, I look forward to meeting the new students and their families at Haultain next year. I am excited for my children to potentially have the opportunity to meet more peers in their neighbourhood.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, Roxanne! Thanks for showing up last night, and thanks also to Shane for the great presentation to the board and to Stephan and John as well. If there is truly no option but to close a school, and if the Board chooses to follow through on CEOPs' recommendation to close Queensland, I feel very confident that our school's parent community (and the students!) will make the transition MORE than easy and pleasant for all involved.
ReplyDeleteGood summary, Shane.
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