hoverfrog Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 our canton is faced with losing a class in primaire. This is a political move - the numbers of children are rising and the maternelle is overflowing!So far we have meetings, more meeting, a march (which has to be a marche de soutien not a manifestation or the teachers can't join it!)they are planning an occupation des locaux in June.Any ideas for other things to do?Has anyone participated in these sorts of things before?I know I have to ask the mairie, but apparently if we put banners on the school railings (outside only!) they may be OK, but what about on private fences along the roads?There are so many rules and regulations about what is allowed and what is not!Actually I'm quite looking forward to my first march :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 HoverfrogWe have the same thing happening here. I wasn't really sure what it was all about, but its my understanding that some kind of government inspector came to the primaire and decided there isn't enough kids to support all of the classes, so their planing to close one.All the parents put banners up and held placards, the mayor was there too and the press. I ducked and covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 that's about the size of it - the inspector decides who can have the classes and who has to lose them.The mayors (commune and canton) are with us, as are the education department people who attend the conseils de classe.As I got voted in as a "representative des parents d'élèves - elus" I have to show willing - and I am totally behind them!(and to think I thought I was getting on the PTA ...)So, saturday sees us with banners, accompanied by the gendarmes, with the maires and other dignatories, taking to the streets! Have to take cakes, as always :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I was chairlady of our parents group when this happened to us. So I led the fight. And we won, the only school in the area to win that year. Since then our school has had to expand on a regular basis, both maternelle and primaire. We made out posters....... like you do. And we wrote and petitioned. Find out what the laws are pertaining to class sizes. Find out how many births there have been and people have moved into the area. You need arming well before entering such a battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 we have the numbers, a census last year, and both the mayors are with us.They wrote a stunning letter to the education inspector - and the lady from the ed dpmt is writing to higher authorities than that!I'm just not sure what else we can do from the ground - apart from rally the 'troops' and make sure of a maximum turnout for anything.There is a definitively french attitude going on sometimes though - as in "have a march, but be very carefull that no-one gets hurt/run over". The mayor can close off strees and make them one-way unless they are departmental roads in which case he hasn't the authority, so you need to warn the prefecture not the gendarmes.Have a "marche de soutien" but never let anyone call it a manifestation.Carefull where you put banners - not on school premises.Let's all sit and discuss the finer points of our meeting with the education department inspector - he said "this" like "that" which we interpret as "this" but in view of "that" it might mean "this"....So very frustrating!What do you think was the most important thing you all did that meant you won??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 The year we were threatened, lots of other schools were threatened too. And as I said we were the only one who didn't suffer a closure.When I said be sure of your facts, ie what the current rules are about class sizes and really how many children will be at the school. We took into account that we have private schools around here, and didn't assume that all the children would be going to our school either.Our Mairie helped with population figures. The Directrice of our maternelle also was very good with the figures for the number of births. The departmental office of our parents association helped with laws regarding class sizes and I think I rang the Academie too. I got information from as many sources as possible. A year or so later, I was talking to someone and they said that they had heard echos that the Inspecteur that he had appreciated the way we had gone about our campaign. And we were rather respectful in the way we did it, sometimes the parents can be very confrontational. I don't think that these people like being 'told' things. Approach and good facts I believe were very important in our winning.I don't know what else to suggest really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 we have their document staing desired class sizes, etc, which the maires used against them in their letter.Numbers in the canton fluctuate but are rising slowly - influx of English, dutch and E Europeans.We lose a few kids to neighbouring communes but gain a few too!You're right - attitude is so important! The mayor of the canton took umbrage because a 'functionaire' told him he could put the (overlarge) grand section from maternelle into the empty classroom at primaire...apparently it's the mayor's decision about the locaux and he likes to do that himself :)The facts and the numbers are well documented - but the inspector was hedging and so there might not be a decision until the rentrée so it will be a long battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimportequoi Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 This happened in my daughters school last year. The institutrice organised posters and petitions but at the rentrée, the class did not exist, there were 3 instead of 4. Two days later it was re-instated due to the numbers per class (35 on average), so it is possible that nothing will be sorted until the rentrée, when the authorities know the exact numbers of the classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 13, 2007 Author Share Posted February 13, 2007 unfortunately this is half the problem - the best the inspector was prepared to offer was that there would be no decision until the rentrée. This is a split-site so at the moment there are two year groups in one village and three in the other. If they take away a class then the children have to be shared between the remaining classes so some will be in one village and the rest in another! Not condusive to class working, let alone the nightmare of who goes where and school transport (usually organised in June/July!), the fact that books for the shared year are owned by one commune not the other, etc etc...On a more positive note - the two mayors don't usually get on so it's nice to see them pulling together for a change!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Quel bordel, comme d'hab n'est-ce pas. You have your answer, I doubt that you can do much more before the rentree now. It looks to me like the decision has been taken to decide at that point and I really cannot see you getting them to give a reply before then. The Education Nationale isn't really concerned that it can mess the kids and the local council about sorting out school buses or school books, they consider themselves above such mundanities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 18, 2007 Author Share Posted February 18, 2007 well we had our "marche de soutien" - which was very well attended!The press were there too - I've put the coverage from the news on my website (http://www.veytisou.com) if anyone's interested, also some of the pictures.Aplogies for the "created using flip4mac" overlay, but I refuse to pay for the upgrade just so I can edit WMF movies saved from the web!Now we just have to wait and see what happens - although they are planning more action later in the year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 well we did the "occupation des locaux" as the accepted next step, and were unfortunately unsuccessful as the class is being closed and the powers that be say that that is that. We were 'on' for TV and radio reporting in the afternoon when a call came through to the mairie saying there would be no TV and no radio coverage. So who had been talking to who??? It sure wasn't the maire as he was well peeved (and brought as crêpes).Well we might not know quite what to do next but it's sure there will be something!Incidentaly, speaking as an English person who is more used to having to do jumble-sales etc to support good causes, I'm not quite sure myself what exactly an "occupation des locaux" is supposed to achieve! There are so many rules and regulations it seems like a waste of time :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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