'Flawed' review system getting new guidelines

Posted By IAN MCINROY

Posted 2 months ago

Kevin Harradine will have some things to tell Simcoe County District School Board officials as they gather input for new accommodation review guidelines.

Harradine and other Prince of Wales Public School parents are familiar with the work of the accommodation review committee (ARC) that suggested keeping the aging Bradford Street school open.

Despite their efforts, however, the school was scheduled to close next June, although that has been delayed until June 2011.

Public consultation meetings will be held to find out how the new guidelines, released earlier this year by the Ministry of Education, can be used to make the review process better and streamline the work of ARCs. Individual school boards must have their own revised policies finished by the end of March.

The Barrie meeting will take place Thursday at Barrie North Collegiate, 110 Grove St. E., from 7 p. m. to 9 p. m.

ARCs are struck for a number of reasons, including declining enrolment and aging facilities, and are made up of students, parents and municipal and school board representatives. Their task is to assess the value of the schools under review.

That process could be shortened with the new guidelines, according to John Dance, superintendent of education for Area 3, which includes Barrie. He took part in the recent ARCs in the area.

"A lot of members of the old ARCs found the policy a little unwieldy. The new policy will streamline the process," Dance said.

"It will, hopefully, address concerns heard in the ARCs last time," he said, adding the meeting at Barrie North could include people from the ARC C, which included Prince of Wales, or people in general in the city who want to give the board some input.

"Our biggest beef with the ARC is that it is fundamentally flawed based on the school-board criteria," Harradine said, citing the board's decision about the optimum school size of 450 students. "Why isn't there any outside-the-box thinking for smaller schools?"

Prince of Wales' (POW) value to the community and its students were also not reflected in the board's decision to close the school, he added.

"Again, flawed to work against school size and age," he said. "What about POW being the lowest operating school in the SCDSB? No busing costs, at all. Third highest school marks. Only school downtown in the Ontario Places to Grow area. Oldest operating school in Simcoe County," he said. "How's that for value?"

Harradine said the whole experience was a "draining, emotional battle" that still affects him and his family today.

"The bottom line is they put us in a fight that we couldn't win because of numbers against other communities that turned their backs on us because they needed the money generated from our closure for their own schools," he said. "Not one of them was under threat of closure."

One of the significant changes in the new guideline is timelines, explained Carol McAulay, the board's superintendent of business and facilities.

For example, the first public meeting had to be held within 90 days of the ARC's first meeting. The guidelines now only require the ARC to give 30 days' notice before the first public meeting.

"Now they can do their work as they see fit, as long as they give the prescribed notice," she said.

The changes will also take a bit of the load off the ARCs.

Previously, they had to develop the valuation framework for each school for which they were assessing the value to the community, the economy, the students and the school board.

Now, board staff will be preparing the "school information profiles" for the committees, which is also a plus, McAulay said.

"It's very factual then and it's consistent," she said. "It's staff that have no agenda."

Feedback from these reviews and public comments will be considered in drafting revisions to the policy.

Suggestions for changes to the policy and process can be made at the public consultation meetings or may also be submitted to JDance and by e-mail topolicyreview@ scdsb. on.cabefore noon on Friday, Dec. 18.

A copy of the presentation will be posted on the board website ( www.scdsb.on.ca)following the first public meeting.

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ARC guideline revisions

The reduction from 60 days to 30 days for the minimum period between the announcement of an ARC and the first of four public meetings. ARCs can begin to prepare for their work during this 30 day period.

The addition of a reference to board long-term enrolment and capital planning, including the potential for partnerships.

The modification of the "valuation tool" to reflect a process that better supports the review of existing schools and the evaluation of accommodation options. The modified "School Information Profile" is intended to ensure the ARC and the public are well-informed about all schools under review based on their value to students, the school board, the community and the local economy. This process will ensure that the ARC is well-positioned to make accommodation recommendations to the board based on a full understanding of the schools and their relationship to the local communities.

SOURCE: Simcoe County District School Board