Council here is supporting efforts to fight a proposal to restrict enrolment in French immersion programs by the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB).
Parent representatives from northern Wellington County have been lobbying against some recommendations from a school board review of its French programs that the group feels would unfairly restrict access to the program, particularly at Palmerston Public School.
One recommendation would only allow students to enter French immersion in junior kindergarten (JK) (not senior kindergarten (SK) or Grade one as is currently allowed), while another would cap JK enrollment in Palmerston at 25 students.
At the April 26 Mapleton council meeting, parent Korb Whale told council the cap “is not equitable based on historical numbers.” He points out that Palmerston had 37 French immersion enrolments last year and 34 this year.
If a cap is put in place, Whale said acceptance would be determined by “a lottery.”
Whale said one reason the review was conducted in the first place is that the board is having trouble attracting and retaining qualified teachers for its French program.
However, he noted, “Up until now they have only tried to hire teaches in June for the next fall. Other school boards have been a lot more active.”
Bruce Schieck, UGDSB trustee for Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North, said over-enrolment hasn’t been a problem in northern Wellington to this point.
“It’s basically Guelph and Orangeville where the problem is, so they (the board) haven’t tried hard enough to make it work,” said Schieck.
He also pointed out parents of one in five students entering Kindergarten now “want their kids in French immersion.”
“Parents understand the importance of being bilingual in a bilingual country,” agreed Whale, who said the group is asking council to “offer support” to the local school board, “rather than criticize their existing policy.”
“I really support your opinions,” Mayor Neil Driscoll told Whale. “There’s other things in life that we have to take our chances on, so I don’t think education should be a lottery.”
Council passed a draft resolution provided by the parents group.
The resolution requests the school board explore solutions other than capping and reducing the French immersion program and adopt a policy of working with municipalities to coordinate recruiting educational professionals to the area.
Council passed an additional resolution directing that Mapleton staff work with Wellington County’s economic development department on implementing measures in the resolution.
“Not that our economic development department wouldn’t be very capable of helping, but we’re a one-person department,” Driscoll commented.
