HomeMy WebLinkAbout07a Notice of Motion Trustee Lam re Categories for School ClosuresOttawa - Carleton District School Board
TO: Chair and Members DATE: 21 December 1998
At the Business Services Committee meeting of 11 November 1998, Trustee Lam moved as follows:
Whereas the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board has started the process for the school area review and
considering possible school closures; and
Whereas the only criterion driving the review and target of school closures is based on a calculation of space
entitlement per pupil as dictated by the provincial funding formula; and
Whereas the deadline to report schools identified for closure to the Minister of Education is unrealistically
short; i.e., 31 December 1998; and
Whereas the deadline does not dictate when specific schools will have to be closed;
Therefore be it resolved:
That schools targeted for closure be listed in the following categories in the Board's submission to the Ministry
of Education and Training:
i) Schools for immediate closure in September, 1999: These are schools which fully meet the closure
(W criteria. For instance, clearly under - populated; in old, unsuitable physical conditions; where the cost to
keep them open clearly surpasses the benefit, and there is no short to medium term need by the
community;
ii) Schools for closure after September, 1999: These are schools which can be closed if certain factors can be
met; e.g., if the special programming offered by the school can be met somewhere else without imposing
unreasonable hardship on the students;
iii) Schools which are forced to close to meet the provincial funding formula requirements: These are
schools which do not meet all the closure criteria, and their closure would cause hardship to the
students and programs; e.g., overcrowding in some other schools, excessive travelling time and
transportation costs created by the closure.
Trustee Lam indicated that there had been an additional part to the motion which was subsumed by
decisions at the 14 September Board meeting. He explained his rationale for identifying the three types of
school closures.
Trustee Chambers moved That the motion be deferred until Trustees have some idea of which schools
might be recommended for closure, but not later than the November Business Services Committee meeting.
The motion of deferral carried.