Ministry of Education
100 New Schools For Ontario's Students
New Guidelines Empower Parents, Communities, School Boards
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 31 /CNW/ - An estimated 100 new schools will be
built across Ontario in the next few years, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne
announced today.
"The McGuinty government understands that a school is much more than a
building for teaching and learning," said Wynne. "Our schools should serve as
hubs for Ontario's communities, improving our quality of life and building the
future prosperity of our people."
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One hundred new schools will be built with $1 billion worth of funding:
- $700 million will be invested to replace schools that are in poor
condition, as part of the government's comprehensive $4 billion Good
Places to Learn initiative to renew Ontario's schools
- $220 million will be invested to ensure French-language school boards
can provide schools in areas where Franco-Ontarians live
- $137 million will be invested in new school construction for school
boards experiencing pockets of growth in new residential areas.
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These 100 new schools are in addition to the 200 that have already been
opened or are in construction under the McGuinty government.
"We're all thrilled with this new school," said Caroline Mochrie,
principal of Oscar Peterson Public School, where Wynne visited with students
today. "It is great for the school system to have new, state-of-the-art
facilities. The magic is not in the bricks and mortar, but in the way that our
teachers are able to connect with the children through the Arts. A modern,
well-appointed school facility supports that connection and contributes
significantly to student success."
Recognizing that school boards' long-term planning about building new
schools is closely tied to their decisions about where schools may no longer
be needed, the province also released new guidelines that outline the process
school boards must follow when considering closing a school.
The Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines serve as an important tool for
parents and communities - because they will ensure that such decisions are
transparent and made with meaningful participation and consultation.
"Closing a school is never easy," said Rick Johnson, president of the
Ontario Public School Boards' Association. "These decisions should take into
consideration a thorough and professional assessment of school facilities,
provision to students of programs and services that are pedagogically sound,
and an extensive, open consultation process with parents and school
communities."
Decisions about school buildings must now be based on a school's value to
its students and the community. Boards will use the guidelines to tailor their
own policies to meet unique community needs and make local decisions that
strengthen relationships with the public.
"These new guidelines will ensure a transparent process and that school
boards carefully consider a school's value to its students and to the
communities they call home. We see schools as the heart of Ontario
communities, hubs of activity, service and future building," said Wynne. "By
working in partnership with Ontario's school boards, we're making great
progress on our plan to create good places to learn that support higher
student achievement across the province."
To see the new guidelines, visit www.edu.gov.on.ca.
Disponible en français
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www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.ontario.ca/progress
Backgrounder
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NEW SCHOOLS FOR ONTARIO'S STUDENTS
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The McGuinty government understands that a school is much more than just
a building where teaching and learning occurs. Our schools also serve as hubs
for Ontario's communities, improving our quality of life and building the
future prosperity of our people.
That's why our government is announcing a $1 billion investment to build
approximately 100 new schools - this is in addition to the 200 new schools
that have already been opened or are in construction under the McGuinty
government. This investment is part of the government's comprehensive
$4 billion Good Places to Learn initiative to renew Ontario's schools.
Funding for new school construction
Working with school boards to assess their capital needs has prompted the
Ministry of Education to create new capital grants to support school
construction and expansion. The ministry will continue to work with boards to
make capital funding as responsive as possible to unique circumstances.
Traditionally, boards were able to build or expand schools when their
overall enrolment surpassed their overall capacity. This funding model -
called the New Pupil Places grant - tended to generate funding for boards with
growing enrolment. The ministry has built on this grant by creating new
components to build schools in growth areas and areas where francophone
students are not being served.
As new neighbourhoods are built and communities grow, many boards
experience pockets of growth, although their overall enrolment may be
declining or stable. To address this, the ministry created the Growth Schools
grant. In 2006/07, the ministry will provide $10 million to support
$137 million in new school construction.
French school boards often do not have schools in certain areas where
Franco-Ontarians live, so they are unable to generate grants based on
enrolment.
To assist these boards, beginning in 2006/07, the ministry is providing
$16 million in funding over four years to support $220 million to build new
schools and purchase land.
Prohibitive-to-repair schools
The age of some facilities and unattended repairs have left some schools
in a state of prohibitive-to-repair - where it would cost more to repair, than
to rebuild these schools. Replacing these schools with new ones, or closing
them where there is classroom space nearby is a priority.
Currently, the ministry is asking boards to determine whether there are
schools to be added or removed from the list of prohibitive-to-repair schools.
Boards will apply for funding to replace or retire the schools on the
list. Based on local needs and rigorous community consultation, boards may
decide to:
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- replace a school on the same site or nearby
- replace several schools with one new school
- close the school and expand or add new facilities to an existing
school.
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Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines
Before school boards decide to close or replace schools that are in poor
condition, schools must undergo a process known as an accommodation review. As
populations change and shrink, boards may also want to evaluate whether some
school populations should be combined so students can benefit from a greater
variety of programs.
In the past, school boards closed schools based on varying degrees of
community consultation.
That's why, in the first Good Places to Learn report, the government laid
out a new direction for accommodation reviews. After extensive review and
consultation with school boards on that direction, the new Pupil Accommodation
Review Guidelines reflect the original vision. The new guidelines empower
local communities by requiring meaningful public participation and
consultation so decisions are based on the school's value to students and the
community.
A minimum seven-month timeline that includes adequate notice for public
meetings is required. All members of the review committee and the public will
have access to all relevant information regarding the school being reviewed.
An administrative review process accompanies the guidelines to ensure
that the community can hold school boards accountable for their
decision-making process without going to court.
The new Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines recognize the true value of
a school to the students, the community, the school system and the local
economy.
Boards will revise their own accommodation review policies so they are
consistent with the guidelines. Boards may then undertake accommodation
reviews, where needed. As they determine the value of a school, boards are
encouraged to tailor their approaches to recognize the individual
circumstances of their schools and communities, and the specific needs of
their students.
The Ministry of Education and school boards know that it is rarely an
easy decision to close a school. However, these new guidelines will ensure
that the process is focused on working in the best interests of students,
parents and the communities they call home. The guidelines will also ensure
that the process is transparent and that boards are accountable to the public.
The Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines for school boards are available
at www.edu.gov.on.ca. This document is the foundation for the review process
and contains more detailed information for boards to develop their own
policies.
History of School Closures
In the past, school closure decisions did not always involve extensive
community consultation or reflect a school's value to its community. Many
schools were closed due to financial incentives, not due to changes in
enrolment.
A key priority of the McGuinty government has been to keep good schools
open. Immediately upon taking office, the government asked school boards to
put a moratorium on school closures. This pause allowed the government to:
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- remove the financial incentives for closing schools
- increase education funding by $2.7 billion
- change the funding formula to deliver over $1 billion in funding on a
per-school basis, rather than a per-pupil basis
- provide funding for $2 billion worth of capital repairs to schools
around the province
- begin new capital funding programs that will build 100 new schools
that would not have been built under the old formula
- develop for boards a new tool to support decision-making on school
closures. The new Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines ensure
capital planning decisions are made with the meaningful participation
of the community and that those decisions are based on the school's
value to students and to the community.
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.ontario.ca/progress
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Contact Info
For further information: Valérie Poulin, Minister's Office, (416)
325-2632; Tanya Blazina, Communications Branch, (416) 325-2746; Public
Inquiries: (416) 325-2929, or 1-800-387-5514, TTY: 1-800-263-2892
