ARCs and school closings - what's working and what's not

[Annie Kidder]

People are writing to us about their Accommodation Review Committees(ARC). There are hundreds of schools under review right now, and in some areas the ARCs seem to be going well, but in other areas there have been concerns.
So here are some questions:

 Is the length of time for the process too long? Too short?

 Are there too many public meetings? Not enough?

 Is the valuation of the schools useful and/or helpful and does it measure the right things?

 Do parents have enough input? Too much?

 Do you think there is the right balance of people on your committee – parents, trustees, board staff?

 Is the general community represented well on the ARCs in your board?

 Is there at least one representative from the municipality on your ARC?

 Does your ARC vote on recommendations and decisions, or are decisions made by consensus?

[Nicci]

No schools should have to close until the economic slowdown starts to turn around. It's nuts when a community loses a major employer and a school closes at the same time - talk about kicking a community when it's down.

Really disappointed in the Declining Enrolment report - absolutely nothing in there that boards in crisis haven't already thought of or put in to action.

Re: Review Process - the ARCs figured out from the get-go that the board had a plan and was leading the ARC in that direction. The dead giveaway was the 10 year Capital Plan. Too much control by board adminstration, sometimes with the board admin. outnumbering the community attendance at meetings.....which was bad,bad,bad.

[Annie Kidder]

Dear William
Thank you for the GREAT description of the ARC process, warts and all! I think you've hit the nail on the head in so many ways and you've made a great synopsis of some of the issues to be addressed. I would add:

- the role of the board's capital plan in guiding the ARC

- a review of the valuation process - does it work, is it worth it, is it valid

I'm going to attach (if I can figure out how) a synopsis of the Declining Enrolment Working Group report. I actually didn't find it disappointing - I think some of the recommendations are good and that it's important that we continue to bring attention to them.

[Annie Kidder]

Here's a synopsis of the report from the Declining Enrolment Working Group. Just three pages - includes the main points and the heart of the recommendations

[INCLUSION]

WANTED – AN EDUCATION OMBUDSMAN

Ward 4 Oakville, Ontario Public Consultation Process with the Halton District School Board is concluding. My comments on the process as of April 21/09. bY INCLUSION

The Board’s actions throughout the Ward 4 public consultation process can only be described as disappointing. The parents and community members of the Ward 4 public elementary schools spent hundreds of hours engaged in a public consultation process with the HDSB during the months of September to November 2008 and in the months that followed, to provide input into what had been touted as a long-term programme and accommodation review of all Ward 4’s public elementary schools. The community overwhelming called for solutions that would bring long-term stability to our Ward’s schools. Many options were considered and/or submitted by the School Councils, the focus groups, and the HDSB both via delegations and the HDSB drafted questionnaires. Many excellent proposals were made by the community to the Board to reform the manner in which English, Core French, Special Education and French Immersion programming is delivered in Halton. These creative ideas and suggestions were never given any serious consideration by the Trustees. No serious weight was given to preserving or enhancing English Track or Dual Track neighbourhood walk-to schools. No consideration was given to introducing innovative programming or restructuring of programs to reduce the segregation and exclusion of students or to providing access to an enhanced Core French Program in all Schools from Grade 1 upward. At the end of the day, an option that had never been disclosed to the public before March 25th (the movement of 170, Grade 1-3, FI students from Ecole Forest Trail’s catchment area, along with a VP and Principal to the soon to be closed Lorne Skuce P.S .in Ward 5) became the “compromise solution”. This solution was then altered on April 15/09 to grandfather siblings indefinitely at EFT and provide bussing for 5 years, and to grandfather another 70 students in the 1.6 km walk – to zone at EFT, leaving less than 100 students moving to Lorne Skuce. No similar motions were passed in favour of the three English Track Schools involved.

After a year long process, the result is that EFT’s capacity will increase (not decrease as was the main reason for the public consultation process) in 2009 from the current 149% capacity, and Palermo will likely over time convert into a Single Track French Immersion School (despite the Minister not willing to fund specialty or STFI schools).

As the facilitator Mr. David Cooke’s stated in his November 24/08 report to the Minister of Education “The Board needs to understand that Public Education is a partnership with parents and the community and this partnership needs to be nurtured and respected.” We were not treated as partners. The current Ward 4 Oakville process lacked transparency, there was extensive involvement of Trustee Kathryn Bateman-Olmstead (whom many members of the public felt only represented the one school and the one program (FI)), significant and relevant financial, enrolment and other data was not supplied in a timely manner, or at all, or was conflicting when supplied. The Board’s plan did not unite the communities and allow them to move forward, but instead magnified the division in the community and created animosity and fear. The Minister needs to intercede via a Governance Policy (and the appointment of an Education Ombudsman) and a strict Public Consultation Process Policy Guideline to ensure that this partnership relationship is nurtured and respected by this Board.

[Nicci]

I don't think any schools should close until this economic slow down turns around. That no one is calling for a moratorium is just wrong in my opinion.

[Catherine]

Annie - the recommendations in the declining enrolment report re: the accommodation review process are bang-on. It's not an ideal process.

Something in the report that has been missed is that there are folks from larger urban centres who because of the current economic situation are moving to small and rural areas looking for a less expensive lifestyle.

Small schools, rural schools by choice has been missed as a consideration all together. For instance, there are some enrollment numbers in my rural area actually creeping up and it's because those families making an exit from Toronto, or London want those small schools and they should be staying in tact.....not being closed.