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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 8, 2006 - 13 School board seeks input on draft capital plan By Jason Misner SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The Halton District School Board's most recent five-year draft capital plan -- which would eliminate the construction of a high school and press ahead with ren ovating others -- could save the board $25 million-$30 million. However, a major uncertainty remains: school boards have been waiting a year to hear from the Province's Ministry of ,, , , . Education as to What I m how new school hopeful for in construction will the short term j be funded. board -- which a ve a ff needs to address solution. a growing student population Wayne Joudrie, j while facing a education director j financial crunch -- approved, in principle, its capital plan on Jan. 25. The plan is a long-term strategy addressing the accommodation needs of students in elementary and secondary schools. It would see $104 million worth of con struction over the next five years. The board will be holding public meet ings to get feedback on the plan before it is finalized in June. In Oakville, a public meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, 7-9 p.m. at Abbey Park High School (Studio Theatre), at 1455 Glen Abbey Gate. The public can also pro vide written comment until March 9. An interim report will go before trustees and a second public meeting will then present the interim report and plan modifications, and seek further-input. The second public meeting in Oakville will occur on`Tuesday, April 25, from 7-9 p.m., at Oakville Trafalgar High School (Cafeteria), 1460 Devon Rd. Written com ments will again be accepted until May 18. A final report should go to the board in June. Updates regarding the meeting sched ules and process will be available on the Halton District School Board Web site at: www.hdsb.ca or by calling the board' s Planning Department at 905-842-3014. The Ontario Ministry of Education has asked school boards to submit their capi tal plans, based on their best information on enrolment projections and renewal plans for existing buildings, to outline how students will be accommodated. Halton is one of the few boards in the province that is growing, even though the rate of growth, between 1-1.5 per cent a year, has slowed from previous estimates. The fact a funding formula has not been rolled out concerns staff. "The development of the proposed cap ital plan has been without the benefit'of ministry guidance on school consolida tion/closures and the development of a new student accommodation funding for mula," a 21-pager report stated, noting there isn't money in capital reserves. "When this information is made available it will .influence the proposed capital plan. "Boards have expressed . concern regarding the level of detail that has and has not yet been provided by the ministry." The lack of a clear funding formula is that we'll , i I j j i The Halton that is among the fastest growing ac co m m o d ate forced the board late lower-than-antic- in Ontario. last year to find money So far the Ministry of ipated student within its budget to growth from the Education has said the funding clear the way to build parameters will come soon but south. two elementary schools (The above there is no exact timeline as to -- in Burlington and two projects when those changes will be Milton -- to open this would save the announced-. September. The board Education Director Wayne board around $10 wants to build two more million, accord Joudrie said the education min elementary schools, to s ing to business istry is- well aware of Halton' open for September growing student -population. services). 2007 in Halton Hills s not clear when a fund · White Oaks While it' and Oakville. Paul Tate Some of the signifi- Wayne Joudrie High School will ing formula will be unveiled, he be renovated to said the board hopes that solution ... for Halton, because of cant changes to the `be the permanent home for the Education Minister Gerard its unique scenario, as a stop-gap draft capital plan include: · A high school will not be built in Gary Allan High School commu Kennedy can provide a short-term (measure) until the full funding solution so Halton can address its formula gets out there." Burlington's Orchard community due to nity in Oakville. "We would not have put any of accommodation pressures. lower-than-projected student growth. It Joudrie stressed that in the One of Joudrie' s concerns is meantime one of the initial key was to have been built in 2011. Instead, these additions into the plan if the board will build a 650-student addition they were not doable," said that more of the new students considerations of the draft capital coming into Halton's public sys plan is to hear what the public to Lester B. Pearson to accommodate the Westerhof. The board has been in a wait- tem are being housed in porta thinks of it. "We won't say we've incoming students from Orchard and Millcroft communities. It is one of the-big- and-see mode since the ministry bles rather than in permanent got it perfect yet." ger additions the board will have under made major changes to the fund bricks-and-mortar buildings. Public school board chair Paul "We're in the process of hav-' Tate said he's confident that, ing formula a year ago. The gone in recent years. · M.M. Robinson High School (the stu Province uses the formula to divvy ing discussions with ministry despite the lack of a clear funding dent population will fluctuate between up money for new school con staff and, hopefully, the minister formula, Halton' s unique situa himself, to convince them that tion of a growing student popula 1,200 and 1,400 students until 2015) will struction. Changes announced in Halton is in a unique situation," tion should warrant a favourable be able to accommodate students from the Alton community permanently -- due to February 2005 no longer require he said, noting the ministry took response from the ministry. lower student enrolment projections -- boards to close schools to free up over providing money for new . "I'm sure once we show the rather than attending Pearson, which pupil spaces to qualify for new- schools in 1998 when the capital plan to the minister, we school funding. School construc .responsibility was taken off the show him how we consulted with would be at capacity. public and we have a plan in place, According to the business services tion has become an urgent need tax rolls. "What I'm hopeful for in the that is not going to be a problem department these two projects would end for the Halton public board as it copes with a student population short-term is that we'll have a selling it to him." up saving the board around $10 million. · The next Milton high school, to have 'opened in 2008, has been delayed one year since there is no available site at this time, said Elaine Westerhof, the board's plan ning manager, in an interview. "We have been trying desperately the last couple of years to get some land in that community to put up a school, but it is proving to be very difficult. Secondary schools (need) a larger land-mass." When or if the new high school gets built, she said it would become the per manent place for the Gary Allan campus in Milton. A Gary Allan campus exists in each U nited W ay a n d its v o lu n te e r of the region's four municipalities. C o m m u n ity L ea d ersh ip T ea m w ould · A new high school won't be built in south Georgetown. Instead the board will like to th a n k all of our d o n o rs w h o build a 150-pupil place addition to g a v e a L ea d ersh ip gift ($ 1 ,0 0 0 + ) Georgetown District High School to COLLECTIBLE COUPON! to our 2 0 0 5 C a m p a ig n Thanks to you, C o m m u n ity L ea d ersh ip gifts to ta le d a re c o rd s r G IV E A W A Y S ! PRESENTED BY $ 5 0 6 ,0 6 9 ! C o m m u n ity Leadership Team : Eve Willis (Chair), Robert Bosshard, Derek Blakely, Don Bowder, Bill C o o p er, Enza C ressm an, J am e s D'Orazio, Tim G odfrey, Larry G reen, H eather Harris, R e b e c c a Heaslip, Tom H itchm an, Russell Hunt, A ndy Kenyon, J o a n n e M cLean, Don P an g m an , M a rg a re t Ponn, C harlotte Riddell a n d Kathy The Oakville Beaver NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL, GROUP OR ORGANIZATION: C O LLEC TO R _____________________ Send or drop off your collected coupons to: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER, 467 SPEERS RD. OAKVILLE ON L6K3S4 No copies or reproductions accepted