Board reviews affect all schools

By Lawrence Powell

The Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

The Annapolis Valley Regional School Board has scheduled four public meetings to share the results of its School Facility Reviews. Three reviews were mandated by the elected board and completed by board staff. Highlights will be presented to the public in locations in each of the three areas addressed by the reviews.

In Annapolis County, meetings are set for June 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lawrencetown Consolidated School and June 4 from 7. to 9 p.m. at Annapolis West Education Centre in Annapolis Royal.

Board superintendant Norman Dray said the Lawrencetown and Annapolis Royal meeting locations were selected because they are central, and the reviews do not target those schools. He said the review has looked at all schools in the county, not just those in Larencetown and Annapolis Royal.

He is encouraging residents in the entire county to attend one or other of the meetings.

A story in the May 22 edition of The Spectator suggested that only the Lawrencetown and Annapolis Royal schools had been reviewed, which is not the case. The review affects all schools in the county.

Parents, guardians,and school community members are encouraged to attend and to participate in the process. The meetings are to share information with the public and are not for the purpose of decision-making. They are the beginning of a process that will lead to identifying alternatives and opportunities for the future use of school facilities.

School communities will be consulted at two points during the next school year to get their feedback and suggestions. This collaborative process will lead to recommendations being developed for consideration of the elected board. “We believe in sharing information with our communities and we look forward to their input into the process,” said board chair Lavinia Parrish Zwicker. “I would like to thank our operations staff for all the work that has gone into this review," said Dray. "It is important to ensure that our students are being served in the best possible manner and that our schools are used effectively and efficiently.”

Meetings have already been held at Windsor Elementary School and L.E. Shaw Elementary School in Avonport.