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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13c COW Report, Phase 2 Area Review/School Closure Study, 15 Dec 1999OTTAWA - CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Report, Committee of the Whole (Phase II Area Review /School Closure Study) TO: Board of Education DATE: 15 December, 1999 A meeting of the Committee of the Whole (Phase II Area Review /School Closure Study) was held this evening commencing at 7:30 pm in the Board Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Nepean, with Trustee Lynn Graham in the Chair, and the following in attendance: Trustees Cynthia Bled, Albert Chambers, Alex Getty, Patty Anne Hill, Andrew Lam, Jim Libbey, Sheryl MacDonald, Pam Morse and Lynn Scott. Staff. James Grieve, Director of Education and Secretary of the Board; Superintendents Rose - Marie Batley, Ross Donaldson and Judy Turriff; Michael Carson, Manager of Facilities and Physical Planning; Maggie Melenhorst, Manager of Communications and Information Services; Joan Melancon, Assistant Secretary of the Board; Phil Dawes, Planner, Facilities and Physical Planning; Robert Giekes, Technician and Bruce Fraser, Committee Coordinator. Approval of A eg nda On a motion by Trustee Sheryl MacDonald, the agenda was approved with the addition of two delegations under Item 4. The Ottawa - Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) postponed from the previous night's meeting and Our Schools, Our Communities (OSOC). Public Question Period a) In response to a query by Colin Mack, Lamira Dow Billings Public School, staff indicated that boards that are receiving grants for the construction of schools have achieved the 100% utilization rate as defined by the Ministry. b) Ronan Gourlaouen of the Lamira Dow Billings School Council asked if the school closure process will result in lower standards across the Board due to the loss of resources such as computer labs and gymnasiums. The Director indicated that the process will not lower standards but will lead to a balance of resources and programs across the entire board. C) In response to a query by Barbara Beattie, Lamira Dow Billings, Superintendent Batley noted that it is possible to effectively run programs with low enrolment figures. She noted that there are nine schools currently providing Early French Immersion Programs with less than 120 students and five with less than 100 students in the English Programs. d) Samantha Sheel of Lamira Dow Billings asked if the renewal costs mentioned are based on a board wide average or on the actual costs. Superintendent Batley indicated that the costs to update and maintain the three schools would be approximately $440,000. e) Alan Martin expressed concern regarding the staff recommendations and asked if Trustees are prepared to extend the process in order to consider alternative options. Trustee Graham and the Director indicated that the Board had established the review process and it was unlikely that the Trustees would extend the process. 0 Jack Logan, Henry Munro Middle School, inquired as to how the costs for the school remain the same with an increase in enrolment. Superintendent Batley indicated that the costs are based on a school's square footage, not population. g) In response to a query by John Thompson, staff indicated that a number of alternative closure scenarios would be analysed. Committee of the Whole (Area Review) - I - 15 December 1999 h) Superintendent Batley, responding to a query by Peter Konzuk, Gloucester, indicated that the estimated cost of the staff recommendations was calculated by the Finance Department based on last year's actual closing costs of five schools. i) In response to a query by David Moen, LePhare Public School, it was noted that the bulk of the estimated renewal cost figure of $440,000 would likely be required at the oldest school. Further analysis would be required to establish a cost breakdown by site. D In response to an inquiry by Julia Konzuk, Superintendent Batley explained that school enrolment figures for LePhare in 1984 - 1985 would be of limited use due to the significant changes in staffing and accommodation formulas. Ms Konzuk indicated that she would submit the figures to staff for information. Delegations a) Donald Buckingham Lamira Dow Billings School Council Donald Buckingham presented an overview of the School Council's concerns with the staff recommendations for Quadrant C. He indicated that the recommendations are based on incomplete and speculative information. Mr. Buckingham remarked that there are a number of questions that arise from the staff report that should be answered prior to any decisions being made to close schools. He noted that a number of alternative scenarios were rejected by staff without a cost analysis being performed and suggested that the method of maintenance cost calculations does not reflect the additional costs incurred at larger schools. Mr. Buckingham questioned the validity of enrolment projections due to the two -year absence of Junior Kindergarten in the former Carleton Board of Education and further commented that L.D. Billings is fully utilized and should remain open. In conclusion, Mr. Buckingham urged Trustees to reject the staff report and the closing of Lamira Dow Billings and to avoid being tempted by short term cost savings. Trustees thanked Mr. Buckingham for his presentation. b) Heather Dion, Chair, Robert Hopkins School Council Heather Dion presented comments on the recommendations in the final staff report and expressed concern regarding the number of split classes that would result. Ms. Dion indicated that the recommendation results in almost all classes being split grades and suggested that there would be triple split classes by the year 2004. Ms. Dion remarked that the split classes will have a negative impact on students and suggested that re- locating Le Phare students to Robert Hopkins and L.D. Billings students to Henry Munro would reduce the need for split grades. She urged Trustees to delay the process, if necessary, to allow for additional research. In response to a query by Trustee Bled, Ms. Dion explained that the alternative examples had not been discussed with the other School Councils but were presented to demonstrate that there are alternative options. C) David Moen, Le Phare School Council David Moen presented comments regarding the recommendations in the final staff report and indicated that both staff scenarios are unacceptable to the residents of Beacon Hill. Mr. Moen suggested three alternatives to the recommendations as follows: i) Preserve a French immersion centre at Robert Hopkins School and locate the English Program at Henry Munro School. This would maintain a separate Immersion program and would concentrate resources for improved program delivery. It would not result in any significant cost differences from the staff recommendation. ii) Close Robert Hopkins School and designate Le Phare School as a JK - Grade 5 Immersion centre. and Henry Munro School as the centre for the English Program. Committee of the Whole (Area Review) - 2 - 15 December 1999 MA The addition of Robert Hopkins School as an alternative site for closure would only delay the decision making process by six weeks. This scenario would save money as well as increase the utilization factor within the quadrant. iii) Close Henry Munro School and leave the four smaller schools in Gloucester North open. Mr. Moen indicated that the preferred scenario would be to close Henry Munro as it would preserve the smaller centres within the quadrant. To consider schools not listed in the original staff report as alternative closures, Trustees must be willing to delay the process a minimum of six weeks. He suggested that running Le Phare and three smaller schools would be less costly and of more benefit to the students. Mr. Moen stated that Le Phare has the lowest custodial costs in Quadrant C and that all major repairs to the school were completed within the past 1 1/2 years. He also suggested that the rated capacity of the school is low and that the modifications required to accommodate additional students could be done at a reasonable cost. In response to a query by Trustee Sheryl MacDonald, Mr. Moen suggested that the total operating costs and renewal costs would be less if Le Phare and L.D. Billings remain open. Transportation costs would be slightly reduced but the impact on the community, including the community use of schools would be enhanced. Mr. Moen indicated, in response to an inquiry by Trustee Chambers, that the school could be renovated to accommodate an intermediate program for approximately $200,000 and would benefit from a higher usage rate. He agreed to provide additional information on the alternative scenarios being proposed. d) Joan Spice Ottawa - Carleton Assembly of Schools ( OCASC) Joan Spice presented the concerns of OCASC regarding the 100% utilization factor and its impact on students. She indicated that members of the OCASC School Closure Committee had recently visited a number of schools operating at a utilization factor of between 89% - 108% of the Ministry capacity. The committee members noted a lack of suitable free space to deal with children with special needs in all schools operating at 100% utilization. Ms. Spice described the situation at Convent Glen Elementary School, which holds one of its classes in the library even though it is operating at only 89% capacity. She explained that the school has a computer lab which is not attached to a library resulting in an assignment of 25 pupil places under the provincial funding formula. Convent Glen also has an uneven number of Kindergarten classrooms. These spaces are counted but cannot be utilized for half of the day. Ms. Spice explained that this situation is common throughout the Board as 35 of the 76 elementary computer labs are not attached to libraries and that approximately 50% of the elementary schools have an uneven number of Kindergarten classrooms. These two factors translate into the equivalent pupil places of approximately three and one half average sized schools. She suggested that school closures should be carefully considered when it is known that significant problems exist in schools operating at 90 %. Ms. Spice noted that staff reports tend to be based on system wide analysis as opposed to being school specific and encouraged Trustees to ensure they have the required information to make informed decisions. In conclusion, she recommended that the Board extend the process by six weeks to fully explore the issues and consider other possible scenarios. She also urged the Board to lobby the provincial government and referred to a letter received from the Minister of Education implying that there may be some room for adjustment to the provincial funding formulas. e) Mitchell Beer Our Schools Our Community (OSOC) Mitchell Beer outlined his organization's concerns and urged Trustees to delay any decisions regarding school closures due to fundamental errors in the final staff recommendations. He suggested that the two main assumptions driving school closure Committee of the Whole (Area Review) - 3 - 15 December 1999 i decisions are questionable and that his organization believes that the Board's budget objectives will not be achieved by closing schools. Mr. Beer suggested that it is unlikely that the province will be able to fund the projected requirements of 360,000 new pupil places between 1996 and 2001. In conclusion, he suggested that Trustees are obligated to protect their own relevance and integrity by challenging the provincial funding models. In response to a query by Trustee Sheryl MacDonald, Mr. Beer explained that it is not being suggested that the Board go over budget but that they work with the community to achieve their respective goals. The Chair announced a fifteen - minute break and the Committee reconvened at 9:15 pm. Questions from Trustees In response to trustee's queries staff reported the following: • Appendix C of the final staff recommendations responded to the proposal of moving the intermediate students to a centralized middle school. • Staff is aware of situations in other boards where capital funds have been used to repair and expand existing structures but has not specifically queried any boards outside of the region for information on these types of projects. • The future financial value of a school site was considered in the development of staff recommendations but was not given significant weight. • A school's size was not one of the factors considered in the staff recommendations. • Twinned schools have not been well received by the community in the past and there are a number of administrative and safety issues which must be considered when staff are assigned to multiple locations. • The Board has no policy regarding the use of portable classrooms but a procedure to phase out surplus units is in place. • The criteria used to determine the assignment of portables could change in the future. • It is normally the role of the Principal in consultation with the community to determine the most effective method of dealing with split grades. The Principal would use a consultative approach to determine the most effective use of space and if the Principal and Superintendent agree then a proposal would be submitted to Facilities and Physical Planning. • The Board continues to lobby the Ministry on a regular basis for additional flexibility in the areas of space utilization and school loading issues. • The figures for space utilization currently used by staff were calculated last year in consultation with the Ottawa - Carleton Assembly of Schools. The current figures for existing elementary sites and new construction are approximately 107 and 100 square feet per student respectively. • The rated space at Le Phare includes 13 classrooms. The main corridor area is approximately the same size as the classrooms and is currently utilized for small group withdrawals. • If a recommendation were made to close a school, which has not been identified by staff, a further period of six (6) weeks would be required from the time of notification to a final decision by Board. • The organization of a school closure requires approximately fifteen (15) weeks. Committee of the Whole (Area Review) - 4 - 15 December 1999 • 'Under the current funding formula, the OCDSB will not become eligible for new construction grants until a utilization rate of 100% is achieved. The completion date for a new school would be dependent on financing strategies. • Some Boards have self-financed construction projects based on their time projections for achieving a 100% utilization rate. • There currently exists multi -age groupings in alternative schools although it is not a common practice. • It is the role of the Principal to determine the effectiveness of multi -grade classes based on a number of factors. They can be of benefit to students through exposure to a variety of ages and language levels. • The cost effectiveness of modifications to Le Phare would have to be carefully considered due to the requirements of current building and fire codes. The actual costs of recent construction projects would not appear to support the estimates suggested in the School Council's presentation. • The Board has requested that the Ministry adjust the utilization factor to 90% but school closures would still be required at that rate. • Limited experimentation with extending the school day was performed at the former Ottawa Board of Education with mixed results. • School closures are a significant part of the Board's program delivery and long term capital plans. • The process for disposition of sites can be initiated while a school is still operating. • The geographic location of Carson Grove Elementary School was given significant consideration as it is situated in the centre of the quadrant. • Legislation indicates that funding would be forthcoming when the 100% utilization factor is achieved. During the course of discussion, trustees requested the following information: • Current utilization rates inside and outside of the Greenbelt. • Projected enrolments /ADE and utilization factors resulting from the relocation of Le Phare School students to Robert Hopkins School and L.D. Billings School students to Henry Munro School. The meeting adjourned at 11:05 p.m. Lynn Graham, Chair Committee of the Whole (Area Review) (W /baf Committee of the Whole (Area Review) - 5 - 15 December 1999