Rural Education Task Force Survey

Friday, 27 November 2020 at 16:40

The Thames Valley District School Board has established a Rural Education Task Force to address the unique needs of rural schools and right now they are looking for public feedback.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Thames Valley District School Board has established a Rural Education Task Force to address the unique needs of rural schools.

Starting this Monday they are launching a special survey for those living in rural communities. The survey will help the school board identify the different challenges and opportunities faced by students and parents in rural schools.

TVDSB Chair Arlene Morell also chairs the task force and says they want to hear from rural residents.

"We want to listen to ideas and concerns from rural communities and generate fresh perspectives on how our Board can better support rural schools that are so important to their communities."

Zorra Township Mayor Marcus Ryan is the co-chair of the task force. Ryan got into politics after opposing the closure of the A.J Baker Public School. He has always been a huge advocate for rural schools.

"Schools are part of the fabric of rural communities. While the province does provide some financial support for rural schools, Ontario’s school funding formula may need to change completely to relieve pressure on Boards to close rural schools."

Responding to concerns of rural communities, the Ontario government implemented a moratorium on all school closures in July 2017.

The survey will be conducted using Thoughtexchange, an interactive online platform that allows participants to provide their ideas and opinions and rate those of others participants. It only takes a few minutes to complete. The survey launches on Monday November 30th and runs until December 14th.

Anyone who takes part will be asked the following question:

What are the unique challenges and opportunities of our TVDSB rural schools, and how do you think we can enhance the rural school experience?

The information collected will inform a final report developed by the Task Force expected in the spring of 2021.