If the Feb. 4 Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) meeting was any indication of things to come, this Thursday’s ARC meeting at Stephen Central should be interesting.

As previously reported, things are winding down for the ARC as far as meetings are concerned. Next Thursday at South Huron District High School, the ARC will present its draft report to Avon Maitland District School Board trustees, who will make a decision on possible school closures sometime in the spring, likely in June.

This Thursday’s meeting at Stephen Central is another chance for the ARC to discuss what recommendations they will make to the trustees. There was no clear message coming from the committee at last month’s meeting — on one hand they agreed they didn’t want Grade 7/8s to be moved into South Huron District High School, while on the other hand the ARC members have left an option on the table that would recommend a Kindergarten to Grade 12 “super school” in Exeter, something not all members were pleased with.

Thursday’s meeting will show onlookers what progress the ARC has made on its recommendations. Will they ultimately recommend the construction of a new “super school?” What answers will they have to address the empty pupil places at the five area schools being reviewed? Will all ARC members agree with the recommendations, or will some leave the meeting scratching their heads, as happened at the Feb. 4 meeting.

But whatever the committee comes up with, their time is almost up.

Did they have enough time to digest all the information, do all the necessary research and come up with viable recommendations? Not likely – the same timeline was given to the ARC last year that looked at only one school, Usborne Central. The committee this year is looking at five schools and had the same amount of time. This year’s ARC affects five different communities and is a much more complex review than last year’s — logic would dictate that the ARC should have been given more time.

Be that as it may, the ARC will present its recommendations to trustees next week at the high school. Board staff will then make their own recommendations to trustees.
After that it’s up to the trustees, who can adopt the recommendations given to them by the ARC and staff, amend them, or come up with their own.