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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 13, 2009 · 4 The Regional Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca School may not start before Labour Day 2009 By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Halton Museum Foundation is currently seeking Directors support Museum projects and provide an active volunteer resource base. Monthly meetings are held in the evening. Applications are available on line at www.halton.ca/museum Halton Region 1151 Bronte Rd Oakville or Halton Region Museum RR 3 (Kelso Conservation Area) Milton The Halton Region Museum is a year-round facility located in Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. It promotes an appreciation for and understanding of Halton's natural and facility rentals, research services and artifact collections management. C O L L E C T I O N by Kingsman Visit our showroom to see this model and all our 35 models burning on display. Absolute elegance at a sensible price. 3600 Laird Rd., Units 12 & 13, Mississauga, ON Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-4, Sun. 12-4 www.ontariohearth.com 905.569.2404 130309 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 The Halton District School Board might reconsider when students will start school next fall. The board recently approved a draft 2009-10 school year calendar that would see students start classes on Sept. 1 -- before Labour Day weekend. Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said she plans to ask school boards to consider alternatives so classes can start after the long weekend. The public school board's Associate Director Ruth Peden said she will be recommending to trustees at the March 25 public meeting the issue be reopened, so the school year calendar committee can develop a plan for a post-Labour Day start. "It (Minister Wynne's request) didn't really tell us how to do it, so it puts us in a bit of a bind because of some of our other commitments with our collective agreements, so what I'm proposing to the board... is that we reassemble the committee to take a second look to see what we can do," Peden said. "They (the board) made the decision, so now I have to ask them to allow us to go back and look at it again." Wynne's request came as a result of questioning by Progressive Conservative MPPs in the legislature this week. Several Tory MPPs argued an early start date will have negative effects on families with vacation plans, booked summer camps and on businesses, which are concerned about losing summer staff too early. The problem surrounding the start date stems from the calendar year. Labour Day falls on Monday, Sept. 7, which leaves 192 school days by June 30, 2010. School boards are required by the Ministry of Education to identify a minimum 194 school days between September and the end of June, with 188 instructional days and no more than six professional activity days. Peden said the school year calendar committee will not rush into a decision, as the deadline for boards to submit their calendars for Ministry approval is not until May 1. She said she is not sure how the post-Labour Day start will be accomplished. Options could be holding professional activity days before Labour Day or reducing Christmas holidays. "We will have to take a look and start again," Peden said. The public and Catholic school boards in Halton were in communication with each other to determine the previous draft calendar. Public school board staff estimated it would cost Halton about $35,000 in transportation costs for each day it is out of alignment with the Catholic school board. Peden said she will be meeting with Mary Tessari, superintendent of education with the Halton Catholic board, before the March 25 board meeting to discuss revising the calendar. -- With files from the Toronto Star