UNITED COUNTIES of SD&G, Ontario – The United Counties of SD&G are searching for an individual to develop an advocacy document for rural education.
Late in 2020, the United Counties Council voted in favour of a motion to create a document evaluating rural education to be used to lobby the province.
“While education in Ontario is governed by school boards and the province, SDG can play a significant advocacy role in ensuring that access to quality education for our young people is paramount,” said Warden Frank Prevost.
At their meeting in December Councillor Allan Armstrong stated that he did not want to hire a consultation who was too closely tied to the political apparatus of local school boards.
“It would be nice to consider someone as well who is not a former educator or someone who is not a former sitting member of one of the school boards,” Armstrong said. “It kind of skirts the fine line of repetition. We are looking for a bit of innovation here. We have all indicated we are not happy with the education system we have, without directing that at any particular school board.”
The United Counties have issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on their website for any consultant who feels they are qualified and up to the task of creating a document advocating for rural education in the region. The RFP can be found here: https://sdgcounties.ca/rural-education
“There is a substantial body of literature confirming why educating children in or near their home communities is important, particularly from a social capital point of view,” said SDG CAO Timothy Simpson. “The intent of this report is therefore not to confirm what we already know, but rather to propose tangible policy solutions to make rural education in our region better.”
