Brown Jr PS and Deer Park Jr & Sr PS PART Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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1 Q1. What are the proposed changes from this study? A1. Please refer to the slide deck from PART Public Meeting (Slide #11) on the Accommodation Review webpage for the recommended scenario ( nfoclicked). Select Program Area Reviews 2017 Brown Junior Public School and Deer Park Junior and Senior Public School Meeting(s) Community Engagement Public Meeting Presentation April 3, 2017 Q2. What is the process that drives these changes? A2. The Brown Jr PS and Deer Park Jr & Sr PS Review groups together two individual studies for the area as identified in the TDSB s annual Long Term Program & Accommodation Strategy (LTPAS). TDSB Staff and Trustees work together to update the LTPAS annually to produce the 10 year work plan that addresses program and space needs across the system through to ensure equitable access to programming across the City. Studies identified in the LTPAS include: Emerging capital priority projects Pupil accommodation reviews Boundary change studies Grade change studies Redirections of residential development studies Program relocation studies New program studies such as French and Gifted Non operating school site studies The Brown Jr PS and Deer Park Jr & Sr PS Review is following the Program Area Review (PART) Process described in PART 3D within the Board approved Accommodation and Program Review Policy P068. If not already known, this Policy can be found through this link: Within this review are proposed boundary changes. The PART is incorporating the requirements as described in PART 3F: Changes to Attendance Boundaries. Page 1 of 6

2 There is the requirement for one public meeting as part of the Program Area Review process, which was held on Monday, April 3, 2017, to obtain additional feedback from the community. The Program Area Review Team comprising the Superintendent of the affected schools, Trustee, Principals, and Parent Council representatives from each of the two schools along with central TDSB staff engaged in a total of three working meetings in addition to the public meeting on April 3 rd. At the conclusion of the review, the Program Area Review Team prepares a report outlining its recommendations to staff. TDSB staff will also prepare its own report. The staff report (with the Program Area Review Team report appended) is scheduled to be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval on June 21, Q3. How are residential developments captured into enrolment projections for Brown Jr PS and Deer Park Jr & Sr PS? A3. TDSB staff is circulated on all development applications that have been submitted to the City of Toronto. Pupil yields are generated from the total number of projected residential units within each school s catchment area. Q4. If there are so many new students coming to the area, why can t a new school be built to accommodate them? A4. Capital projects at the TDSB are currently funded by only two sources Ministry of Education Capital Priority grants TDSB revenue generated from the Consolidation Capital Grant Limited funds for new capital projects are available provincially, but individual projects must be submitted to the Ministry of Education for consideration by school boards for capital funding support. The limited funding does not address all of the capital requirements of school boards across the Province. The funding pot varies from year to year; there is no guarantee as to whether or not capital funds will be made available, nor if projects identified by school boards will be supported. The TDSB must be able to plan for the future and preserve options should new schools be required in these communities over the longer term. Q5. Given the rapid growth in the community this seems like only a short term plan. What else is being done if there are still more students that cannot be accommodated after 2026? Page 2 of 6

3 A5. To meet longer term demand for space in an area with limited opportunities to accommodate student, we are continuing to examine other, more creative, options. These options include working with the City of Toronto and the development community on the potential of a vertical school (built within a new development), or the feasibility to incorporating satellite spaces for TDSB classrooms or child care space. Staff is currently working on the processes to enable these creative solutions. Q6. Why can t the child cares within these schools just be moved out to provide more classroom space? A6. Child cares are a valued partner and as such they are accommodated in many, many TDSB schools. The mandate for child care is now in the hands of the Ministry of Education, who strongly encourage the co location of these users within local schools. Further, the majority of child care spaces within our local schools serve the community in which they are located. There is a formal process for reclaiming child care space from operators within our schools; however, even if spaces were reclaimed for the schools involved in this review the accommodation and programming issues would not be fully addressed or resolved. Complications also arise when the City has invested capital funds to establish child care centres. These spaces are not recoverable until the terms of the investment are fulfilled. Q7. Will my child be grandparented when the proposed boundary changes take effect in September 2018? A7. Yes. Existing students attending Brown Jr PS as of the end of the 2017/18 school year will be allowed to stay at the school through to graduation. The Program Area Review Team (PART) has also recommended that siblings of these students (provided that the student(s) is/are still attending Brown Jr PS when the other sibling(s) enter(s) the school) be grandparented and be allowed to attend Brown Jr PS until they graduate. Q8. How will Deer Park Jr & Sr PS accommodate the additional students coming from Brown Jr PS? A8. To accommodate additional students from the proposed boundary change between Brown Jr PS and Deer Park Jr & Sr PS, Deer Park Jr & Sr PS could require up to 6 additional classrooms by Staff have identified up to 8 classrooms within Deer Park Jr & Sr PS that could be found through a combination of classroom efficiencies at the school and created through internal Page 3 of 6

4 retrofits to the existing school space. Staff will work with school administration to review space needs annually and bring requests for the required retrofits (as prioritized through the Program Area Review Team report) to Central Accommodation Team (CAT) for approval and funding. Brown Jr PS does not have any internal space to accommodate any internal retrofits. Q9. Why is the Program Area Review Team (PART) looking to reduce the size of the French Immersion program at Brown Jr PS? A9. The Program Area Review Team (PART) and Local Feasibility Team (LFT) explored a number of different options in an attempt to alleviate the accommodation pressures at Brown Jr PS grade changes, boundary changes, etc. None of the options alone provided adequate relief, so the PART had to look at reducing French Immersion numbers at the school. Per TDSB Procedure 597, all students applying to French programs are guaranteed a spot in the program somewhere, but there is no guarantee as to which school the student will be placed. French applications are reviewed on an annual basis. Brown Jr PS will continue to serve its own catchment for French Immersion, and students who may not be placed into Brown Jr PS French Immersion program will be offered a place at another school with a French Immersion program. Q10. Will the one class of 30 students in the SK French Immersion cohort still get one teacher and 1 Early Childhood Educator (ECE)? A10. Yes, a class of 30 students will still be allocated one teacher and one ECE. Q11. Will Brown Jr PS French Immersion program continue to feed into Glenview Sr PS for Grades 7 and 8? A11. Yes, at this time, the pathway for French Immersion students attending Brown Jr PS is still Glenview Sr. PS. That process will continue to be reviewed annually as has always been our practice. Q12. I reside in the proposed boundary change area and my child attends the French Immersion at Brown Jr PS. What would happen if I decided to pull my child out of French Immersion at Brown Jr PS after September 2018? A12. As per the TDSB s Operational Procedure PR 597, students who leave a French Immersion program may be required to return to their local school for the English program as determined by home address or to apply for optional attendance in any English program school. Given that Page 4 of 6

5 the boundary change is effective September 1, 2018, any child residing in the proposed boundary change area would be directed to Deer Park Jr & Sr PS for the English program. Q13. Was there any consideration given to turning Brown Jr PS into a French Immersion only school and Cottingham Jr PS expanding in the English stream? A13. Cottingham Jr PS is a small school. There are only 6 regular sized classrooms in the school serving a current year enrolment of 150 students. There are currently 354 students in the English track at Brown Jr PS. Cottingham Jr PS would not be able to accommodate all of these students if Brown Jr PS were to become a French Immersion only school. This scenario would not resolve the current or future accommodation pressures and was therefore not viable. Q14. What is happening with the tennis courts at Brown Jr PS? A14. As a result of the RFP in 2015, there was no interest expressed by the tennis community to fund the refurbishment of the tennis courts at Brown Jr PS. The tennis courts will be part of a larger master plan review when the artificial turf at Brown Jr PS comes up for renewal. Q15. What practice is in place to verify where someone lives? A15. At registration, Principals have the authority to request additional pieces of verification to ensure the validity of the address being provided. At the beginning of every school year, forms are sent home with students to verify their personal information, including home address. Where it is suspected that a false address is being used, Superintendents and Principals may employ a number of strategies which may include conducting home visits to verify the authenticity of the address being used. That being said, there may be special circumstances whereby students are permitted to attend a school outside of their catchment. Superintendents and school administrators are aware of these unique circumstances. Q16. I reside in the proposed boundary change area and my children currently attend Brown Jr PS. Can I move them over to Deer Park Jr & Sr PS in September 2018 if the boundary change is approved by Board? A16. Yes, although the PART is recommending grandparenting of existing students attending Brown Jr PS and their siblings (provided that the child is still attending Brown Jr PS when the other sibling enters the school), students residing in the proposed boundary change area will have the option of moving to Deer Park Jr & Sr PS once the boundary change occurs. Page 5 of 6

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