An artist rendering of the new K-12 school in Kingsville courtesy of the Greater Essex County District School Board.An artist rendering of the new K-12 school in Kingsville courtesy of the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Windsor

Kingsville school name goes before trustees for a third time

When trustees at the Greater Essex County District School Board meet on Tuesday night, a motion will again press them to reconsider the name of the new kindergarten to grade 12 school in Kingsville.

Two weeks ago, a similar attempt to reconsider Erie Migration Academy failed.

This new motion is on the agenda for a special meeting starting at 6 p.m.

Tuesday's motion calls on trustees to amend the motion and name the school Erie Migration District School, ending any possibility the name's acronym could be used to describe a lewd sexual act.

Trustees adopted the name in a 6-2 vote in February. The decision prompted protests and a 2,000-signature petition demanding a reconsideration.

Many of those opposed feel trustees ignored the name selection process and criticized trustees for choosing a name that wasn't on the short list of approved possibilities.

Only Trustees Nancy Armstrong and Linda Qin voted no.

The board hopes to open the school in September.

Meanwhile, the President of the Greater Essex Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario plans to address trustees on a different matter.

The board is facing a deficit of over $9-million, and Mario Spagnuolo said his members worry students will face the brunt of cutbacks.

He recently raised concerns about the Reaching Individual Success and Excellence, or RISE, Program. It provides students with learning disabilities one-on-one instruction in math and literacy in a setting with eight to ten other pupils.

The program recently underwent a review, and the Special Education Advisory Committee could receive the results next week.

The school board has not said what budget cuts it will make.

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