By Staff
February 15th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In order to begin whittling down the 30+ options before the PARC the members of the committee were asked to pair up by school affiliation and offer their input on the outstanding options, (it was now down to 14 options)
Using the 13 point PARC framework, PARC members were asked to write down supporting details to either “Criteria Met,” or “Criteria Not Met,” for a given option, along with any suggestions on the foolscap paper.
Along with the written input expected from PARC members, there was also a “dot-mocracy” exercise. After contributing (and reading others’ contributions) all the outstanding options, PARC members were asked to attach a dot to three options for which they favoured.
Members of the Program Accommodation Review Committee meeting February 9th.
Options that received two or fewer dots were not seen as not having much in the way of support and were dropped from further consideration.
Option 7 ………
No school closures, cap enrollment at Hayden
Criteria Met
Overall: Least disruptive to school communities, given that there are no school closures.
Accommodation of students in a permanent facility
Cost effectiveness of transportation
80% utilization across the city
Regional programming remains an option
Criteria Not Met
Overall: Does not meet a range of outstanding issues, which prompted the PAR
Low utilization persists exacerbating fiscal issues o No precedent or process for capping enrolment
Suggestion: Boundaries could be adjusted to create stable boundaries and allow for growth.
Bateman closes ….
Criteria Met
Overall: Next to Option 7, it is least disruptive to school communities, given that there is only one school closure, and there is a neighbouring school nearby (Nelson) that could absorb some of the Bateman students.
90% utilization rate met
Unified cohorts
Criteria Not Met
Overall: Compromises issues of programming and equity for all HDSB students.
Uncertainty if all programs will be offered (e.g., OYAP, SHSM)
CPP, Essential, and LEAP all move to one school
Balance of enrollment not met (Hayden remains over-capacity; Pearson remains under-capacity)
Nelson requires portables
Split cohorts
Bateman daycare closes
Option 19 ……………
Pearson and Central close; Hayden program change.
Criteria Met
Overall: Disruptive given that two schools are closing, and leaving a large gap in downtown Burlington without an HDSB high school; utilization met.
Full range of programs (mandatory and optional)
Fiscally responsible (utilization rate is improved; transportation savings)
Accommodation of students in permanent schools
Criteria Not Met
Overall: Compromises issues of programming and equity for all HDSB students
Increases use of portables
Increases transportation costs
Elementary PAR will be required; splitting of cohorts
Specialized programming is lost
Does not balance enrollment
Lose Pearson nursery
Walkability decreases
Suggestions:
Tweaks to Aldershot and Bateman to balance enrollment;
Tweaks to facilitate stable long term boundaries (e.g., Increase boundary for FI South Burlington east (Aldershot), move some FI to Nelson and to Bateman
Avoid splitting Pineland cohort between Nelson Bateman
Option 28 ………
Pearson and Central close; Aldershot and Hayden program change
Criteria Met
Overall: Disruptive given that two schools are closing, and leaving a large gap in downtown Burlington without an HDSB high school; utilization met.
Accessibility addressed
Stable boundaries
Good range of programming
Minimal use of portables
Fiscally sound
Criteria Not Met – Overall: Compromises issues of programming and equity for all HDSB students
PARC members first set out what they felt was and was not met in terms of the Framework criteria – and then their ranking of the options before them. The 14 have now been whittled down to four.
Transportation costs are high
Elementary PAR will be required; splitting of cohorts
Specialized programming is lost
Lose Pearson nursery Suggestions:
Increase Bateman enrollment by moving Nelson English boundaries
Increase Aldershot English boundary to include Maple.
Keep Pearson
Correct error in utilization for 2019 at Dr. Frank J. Hayden SS.
This gets the choices down to four options.
What hasn’t been broken out are the increased transportation costs and the cost of additional portables.
This is drifting towards a recommendation to close Central and Pearson high schools.
Remaining scheduled meetings.
It’s mostly about current demographics. The neighbourhoods around central and Pearson have not yet replenished. The ageing seniors have long ago raised children, but are still in the area. Newer built parts of the city attract new families, with new babies. It’s surprising how many of these new families are synced. This causes large groups of kids to attend school at the same time. See Alton.
The issue with all this PAR stuff is that demographics change. People age, people change jobs, people move into the 500 plus condo units being built downtown Burlington. Sorry, 500 condo units proposed to be built.
Just an editing point: a good journalist does not start an article with “In order to”. The first paragraph should state what the piece is all about and not take for granted that readers know what PARC is all about. Secondly, a good reporter uses the phrase: “To be able to” rather than In order……
What ever happened to good writing?
An odd question, perhaps.
Aside from boundary situations, where have or not have the
students who would have attended both Pearson
and Central Secondary Schools “in the past” originated?
I had thought a declining birth rate for the lack of students,
however suspect there are
more reasons, including siphoning of students to other
religious based institutions including the Catholic boards.
Anybody?