At the February 24th meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board, the trustees approved the establishment of a JK-6 French Immersion Program, in September 2009, at Princess Elizabeth P.S.

This is an issue that I have dealt with since 2001 when I became trustee for the Town of Orangeville. For the many families who have desired and advocated 'for' this program, there is a great deal of anticipation around bringing the program home to Orangeville. However, as the Board heard last night, there is a group of families who believe this is the wrong decision for their children. The thirteen delegations spoke about quality of program and staff, the need to hold the program in one school, equitable resources between the remaining Brisbane program and the new start-up program, and the numerous scenarios they felt were best for the children involved. There will need to be time and effort spent on healing emotions.

Last night's meeting was extremely long, certainly one of the longest and most intense in my time on the Board. However, I feel very confident that due diligence was given to cover every thought, concern and solution, to the best of ability and data, at present:

• Co-Chair of FIRC, David Walpole who was a neutral facilitator, addressed the Brisbane Parent Survey responses and how the committee utilized them.

• Our Manager of Planning, Dennis Cuomo, presented updated data, such as: the projected JK/SK numbers, the number of classes needed to house a Orangeville FI program( 7), and the availability of empty classrooms in Orangeville schools (7 at Princess Elizabeth Ps, 3 at Mono Am, 3 at Parkinson, 2 at Princess Margaret).

• Heather Boswell, our Superintendent of Program, responded to questions of the cost and allocation of resources.

• The Trustees asked many questions for clarification ensuring that information from delegations was consistent with what we were told by staff.

• Finally the Trustees gave in-depth speeches on their reasoning for voting 'against' or 'for' the recommendations presented originally at the Business Operations Committee on Jan. 20th , 2009. Each of us expressed a desire to have an FI program in Orangeville. However, the vision of what that would look like in September varied.

In the end, the Board voted to establish a JK-6 program at PEPS this September. In addition, the Board committed to continuing a review that will focus on FI in Grades 7 to 12 and how it can be supported to ensure a strong and vital program.

For parents interested in enrolling in the program:

-Please watch the Upper Grand District School Board web site for more details: www.ugdsb.on.ca

-For those inquiring about JK/SK Registration, please register at your home school and clearly mark your decision to enroll in the upcoming French Immersion program on your child's registration paper work.

Finally, I wish to extend a very sincere appreciation to the FIRC and its members for the many hours that they committed to reviewing, discussing, debating and communicating this issue. A special thanks goes to the Orangeville/Dufferin/Brisbane Parent Representatives Rhonda Nalli, Sonia McDonald, and Lori McNeil-Chong

Contact Information: Should you wish to contact Bob Borden, UGDSB Trustee for the Town of Orangeville and Chair of the Board, you can do so by phone (home office- 519-940-0279; Guelph office- 519-822-4420, ext. 735) or e-mail at bob.borden@ugdsb.on.ca. Also, you can visit the Board's web site at www.ugdsb.on.ca and read the highlights of each Board meeting.