PROBABLY MY MOST IMPORTANT POST THIS YEAR!

There is a board meeting tonight for the Simcoe County District School Board. If you cannot attend at the last minute, at least watch it live on YouTube so they can see your numbers. (I cannot get there in person).

Quite frankly, I am SHOCKED that this request has not come to all of you from our Mayor (our official spokesperson) or our Deputy Mayor (Previously a School Board Trustee).

On this evenings SCDSB agenda is a proposed capital spending list. For the first time in the SCDSB history, Wasaga Beach High School is in the number TWO position.

What does this mean? I personally think it means the advocacy our School Board Trustee Mike Foley has dedicated to this cause has paid off!!! Thank you to the SCDSB staff and Board members who clearly have the best interests of our school children in their hearts!

Capital submissions have again been requested by the Province of Ontario and the deadline for those submissions is September 16, 2024. By passing a motion to accept this submission, the Board will be saying that we are the TOP priority for securing a new public high school in Simcoe County. (There is presently a single elementary school in #1 spot).

So… what can we do? What can YOU do?

First off, write to Mayor Smith and all six other Council Members. (IMMEDIATELY)

Write to BOTH of our CAO’s. Your letters should be basic and succinct. We should DEMAND that the Wasaga Beach Council and Administration provide as much support as possible towards this submission. (Directly- through our School Board Trustee)

Mention the efforts that our a town has previously taken to support the Separate School Board. (Lobbying efforts, letters, etc.)

We can only hope that the efforts that our Council have made to move the Separate Board submission forward have not jeopardized the possibility of securing funding for this much needed public high school.

Over the next couple of weeks, we can organize massive public support for this submission and send our letters to the Premier and the Minister of Education.

Today… we need to send a CLEAR message to our Mayor.

My letter;

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Mayor Smith,

We EXPECT you to provide any and all support to our School Board Trustee and the Simcoe County District School Board in relation to the Proposed Capital Priorities list before them on the August 18,2024 SCDSB meeting agenda.

The school children of Wasaga Beach deserve Councils undivided, unanimous support in this matter.

This is Wasaga Beach’s first REAL opportunity to secure a proper sized, full “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” programmed high school. We look forward to seeing the same efforts used that we have seen used for the separate school board in securing their funding these last two years.

Respectfully,

Mark Winegarden

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Our school board has identified the need, secured the land and is ready to build. (In the Sunnidale trails Sub-Division) All that is required is commitment from the Province of Ontario and ALL of our high school area children will finally be able to attend high school right here in Wasaga Beach!

Write to our Council immediately! Demand they get behind this important submission! I truly hope Mayor Smith is in attendance at tonight’s meeting. It’s time for our voices to be heard!

Stay tuned and after the Board of Education settles their direction this evening, we will formulate a plan to show them we are behind them 100%.