Township council will ask local Upper Grand District School board trustee Bruce Schieck to attend a future meeting to explain a perceived disparity in funding between urban and rural schools.
At the May 13 meeting, council received a letter from Centre Peel School Parent Council member Dennis Diefenbacher requesting council’s help with an upcoming playground equipment fundraiser.
The school council asked the township to reduce the rental rate for the Moorefield Community Centre for a barbecue fundraiser on May 24.
The letter notes “it’s up to the parents to raise the money,” for the purchase of a proposed play centre.
Over the past year, the parent’s group has raised $38,000 of its $60,000 goal, without receiving grants from any source.
“We would greatly appreciate any discount you would be willing to give on our facility rental,” the letter states.
Councillor Neil Driscoll said parents would not have to raise funds for things like playground equipment, “if we were a little bit closer to the south end of this county in the City of Guelph.”
Driscoll said schools in the city seem to have no problem getting funding for items like playgrounds.
“Why should we as parents be putting playgrounds in our school yards? It’s disgusting. It’s just unfortunate that they view the north as you kind of fend for yourself,” said Driscoll.
Mayor Bruce Whale said, “I don’t know what the policies are at the school board. We could ask our upper grand representative to come to a meeting.”
Council agreed to receive the Centre Peel request for information and to send a letter to the parents council indicating their intent to meet with Mapleton’s school board representative on the matter.
Although council did not take action on the request for a reduction in rental fees, Whale noted, “that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be retroactive if council wanted to do something at that point in time.”
