DSBN Academy - the Last Post

Image via Wikipedia

Well it is all over but the crying as they say.



The vote is in.



DSBN Academy is a go for this September.



According to reports ninety families expressed an interest in the school.



I don't blame them. If I was in a similar circumstance I would be moving heaven and earth right now to ensure that my child has a spot in the school.



The same way I would have fought to the death to get a seat for my child on a Titanic lifeboat.



But the problem is that not every child can get into this school with its two meals a day, tutoring and mentoring.



It is an American concept that doesn't sit comfortably with Canadians who generally prefer to embrace what is best for the group. We have in the past been willing to accept a few less perks so that everyone stands on a level playing field.



I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Board can accommodate every child who wishes to attend DSBN Academy.



But I still don't like it.

Related articles

• School for only low-income kids dubbed 'educational apartheid' (canada.com)
• School created to combat poverty no longer only for the poor (canada.com)
• Ontario anti-poverty school no longer only for poor students (nationalpost.com)

DSBN Again

I wasn't going to say another word about the DSBN Academy but then I read the article, "Where Was Debate?" in Saturday's St. Catharines Standard.



"We thought people would be more willing to help children in need."  Board Chairman Kevin Maves.

"I don't think anyone would have predicted the amount of negativity that came from trying to help some kids ..."  Trustee Dalton Clark




Jeesh!



After countless radio talk shows, news paper articles and letters to the editor these guys still don't get it.


But worse than that, they see themselves as misunderstood heroes, the shocked public as the Evil Empire.



I doubt that we will ever get the truth of what happened.

It doesn't look as if anyone is going to change his or her story about how this whole idea came to fruition, and personally I don't care at this point.



It is time to move on.



As a taxpayer and whole hearted supporter/believer in the public school system I think the board should postpone the opening of the DSBN Academy for a year while other possibilities are investigated.



And get a grip, Mr. Board Chairman.

Related articles

• Ontario anti-poverty school no longer only for poor students (nationalpost.com)
• Is a decision to separate low-income students novel policy or 'educational apartheid'? (nationalpost.com)
• Critics denounce low-income school in Niagara (cbc.ca)