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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08b COW Public 9 May 2002 Minutes PublicWIM OTTAWA - CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Report, Committee of the Whole (Public) (School Closures) (Partial Report) TO: Board of Education DATE: 9 May 2002 A meeting of Committee of the Whole (Public) (School Closures) was held this evening, at 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, in the Board Room commencing at 7:45 p.m. with Trustee Lynn Graham in the Chair and the following also in attendance: Trustees Margaret Lange, Myrna Laurenceson, Jim Libbey, Norm MacDonald, Sheryl MacDonald, David Moen, Pam Morse, Lynn Scott and Joan Spice. Staff. Director of Education and Secretary of the Board, James Grieve; Superintendents Rose - Marie Batley, Judith Hoye, Dan Mason, Laura McAlister, Katharine Saunders and Judy Turriff, Manager, Facilities, Planning and Transportation, Michael Carson; Planners Ian Baxter, Estelle Butler, Janet Sauriol and Mark Smith; Planning Technician Stephan Belan, Manager, Physical Facilities/Design and Construction Services, Kathleen Lausman, Assistant Secretary of the Board, Joan Melancon; Manager of Communications, Maggie Melenhorst, Management, Policy and Planning Advisor, Janice Sargent; A/V Technician, Robert Giekes and Committee Coordinator, Bruce Fraser. Student Trustee: Trevor Robinson. Call to Order and Introduction: Vice -Chair of the Board Chair Graham called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone to the meeting. She acknowledged that the school process is a stressful time for everyone and requested that an appropriate level of decorum be maintained during the meeting. 2. Approval of Agenda On a motion by Trustee Sheryl MacDonald, the agenda was approved as circulated. Public Question Period a) Victor Emerson In response to a query by Victor Emerson regarding eligibility for transportation for EFI students redirected from J.H. Putman to Fisher Park PS, Michael Carson advised that some conditions regarding transportation for some students would be extended but in general students will have greater distances to travel. b) Andrew Denny and Rose Hask Andrew Denny and Rose Hask informed trustees that many J.H. Putman PS supporters will not be attending the Special Board meeting as they will be involved in a music leadership camp on that date. C) Doug Coburn In response to a query by Doug Coburn regarding the additional transportation costs that will result from the closure of Riverview PS, Michael Carson advised that there will be minimal costs involved due to the number of buses currently servicing that area of the Board. -1- �G d) Joan Hill -Keast In response to a query by Joan Hill -Keast regarding enrolment projections, Michael Carson explained that planning staff consider historical information and hold discussions with principals to arrive at a projection which is agreed to by the principal of each school. e) Emilia Iveson Emilia Iveson asked if the Board would guarantee that the Music Program at Fisher Heights PS would be maintained at a comparable level to J.H. Putman PS. She noted that the time available for rehearsals for students would be limited due to increased travel times. Chair Graham advised that issues such as these would likely be raised during debate. f) Tim Hoskins In response to a query by Tim Hosking with respect to the effectiveness of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing, Director Grieve noted that the tests do provide useful information but they are only one of the tools used for student assessment. He encouraged Mr. Hosking to share his views with the Ministry of Education and the EQAO office. g) Kathryn Howitt Kathryn Howitt referred to the recent Ottawa Citizen article concerning the negative effect of excessive noise on student achievement levels and noted that open concept schools are worse than regular schools. She asked if it would be wise to keep L.D. Billings ES open pending the result of the research that will commence in the fall. Director Grieve advised that he was familiar with the article and the debate with respect to noise in open concept schools. He noted that the Board has a number of open concept schools that work well and the effectiveness of the school depends on staff working together to provide a positive learning environment. h) Pat Moore Pat Moore asked if it would be prudent to delay any school closure decisions until the government announces a complete funding policy. Chair Graham noted that decisions made at tonight's meeting will be recommendations to the 14 May 2002 Board meeting. Information provided by the government prior to the meeting will be taken into consideration. i) Doug Nelson In response to a query by Doug Nelson, Michael Carson advised that staff are aware of the issues regarding the safety of students crossing busy streets and intersections to use public transportation. He noted that the situation currently exists for some students who attend J.H. Putman PS. -2- j) Angela Connidis In response to a query by Angela Connidis regarding recent suggestions made by Dalton McGuinty MP regarding student safety, Chair Graham and Director Grieve noted that the Board has a number of policies and safety initiatives in place that were not mentioned by Mr. McGuinty. Director Grieve noted that there are also worthwhile options utilized in the community, such as neighbourhood watch, and agreed that a discussion on the issue would be worthwhile. Continuation of Debate on Closures and Recommendations to the Board Trustees agreed that they would complete debate and vote on each part of Trustee Norm MacDonald's motion from the 26 March 2002 Special Board meeting before continuing to the next school. Lamira Dow Billings ES Trustee Moen expressed the view that schools should only be closed if they are unsafe or not needed and that L.D. Billings ES does not fit either criteria. He noted that closing this school at this time could constrain the development of a permanent comprehensive plan to balance school enrolments and maximize the effective use of space. Trustee Moen submitted that the Board will not realize any significant monetary savings and closing the school would be premature. He urged trustees to vote against the closure of L.D. Billings Elementary School and to move forward in the development of a comprehensive plan to address the rationalization of enrolment levels. Trustees speaking in support of the motion expressed the view that the Board must consider opportunities to improve the use of space and to eliminate surplus pupil places where possible. It was noted that overall enrolment levels in the three area schools are low, and therefore, the students can be effectively accommodated at Robert Hopkins PS and Le Phare ES with only a negligible increase in transportation costs. Some trustees expressed the view that some of the savings should be invested to improve the receiving schools. It was noted that this area of the Board has been studied a number of times and staff have previously recommended the closure of L.D. Billings ES. Part c) of the motion was carried. On a motion by Trustee Norm MacDonald, therefore, your Committee recommends: I) THAT LAMIRA DOW BILLINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BE CLOSED, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2002; II) THAT LAMIRA DOW BILLINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JK ENG AND SK -5 EFI STUDENTS RESIDING IN THE PINEVIEW /CYRVILLE AREA AND A PORTION OF THE BEACON HILL SOUTH /CARDINAL HEIGHTS AREA (BETWEEN MONTREAL ROAD AND OGILVIE ROAD) BE REDIRECTED TO LE PHARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2002; III) THAT LAMIRA DOW BILLINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JK ENG AND SK -5 EFI STUDENTS RESIDING IN A PORTION OF THE BEACON HILL SOUTH/CARDINAL HEIGHTS AREA (BETWEEN HWY 17 AND OGILVIE ROAD) AND THE SOUTHERLY PORTION OF THE BEACON HILL NORTH AREA BE REDIRECTED TO ROBERT HOPKINS PUBLIC SCHOOL, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2002; AND -3- ,go, IV) THAT LE PHARE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JK ENG AND SK -5 EFI STUDENTS RESIDING IN THE NORTHERLY PORTION OF THE BEACON HILL NORTH AREA BE REDIRECTED TO ROBERT HOPKINS PUBLIC SCHOOL, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2002. Note: Parts a) J.H. Putman Public School, b) Lakeview Elementary School, and d) Riverview Public School of the motion were defeated. Discussion of the items will be provided in a full report to be distributed at a later date. The meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. baf /CO W(Public)5 /9 /02.doc -4- Lynn Graham, Chair Committee of the Whole