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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 2, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Parents upset by decision to expand Joshua Creek School By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Tacking on 11 classrooms to the overcrowded Joshua Creek Public School in time for September does little to solve the problem of overcrowding, dissatisfied parents say. Tuesday night, Halton District School Board trustees voted 8-3 in favour of paying $2.6 million to build two additions onto the Arrowhead Road school. Despite 11 presentations from parents imploring trustees to build a new school somewhere else in the neighbourhood, trustees decided to put six classrooms on the school roof and five more extending from the side at ground level. "We're extremely disappointed," said Sudha Sareen, Joshua Creek's school council chair who brought with her to the special meeting a petition of 500 names in support of a new school. "Why couldn't they wait one week to analyze all of the information so that they could make a more informed decision?" Another parent, Shelly Coleman said, "You're putting an entirely new school onto an existing one with these addi- tions. The proposal only puts more kids on more buses and in more portables." Enrolment at the start of this school year at Joshua Creek was 708. The JK to Grade 8 opened in 2005 with a capacity to hold 550. But rapid residential development in the area has created the overcrowded situation. And the numbers are expected to soar even higher as 615 new homes are expected to close by 2010. "They hurried up and got it wrong," said parent Lingta Lee, who was among 75 others who attended Tuesday's special board meeting. The ground-floor addition will also eat up more playground space, said Nik Moeller. "The land space around the school is at a minimum already," he said. Giving current students the choice to stay and redirecting new students to the other nearby schools were some other suggestions parents offered. Presenter Loren Francis said the additions don't do enough to rectify the problem of increasing student numbers over the long term. "We don't want to be here again in two years," she added. The parent group also said their children have been denied a new school in favour of build- ing residential homes. Resident Michael Hawkins accused the board of being "grossly premature" in releasing land it held at Postridge Road and North Ridge Trail, to the Town of Oakville back in 2004. Since then, 59 houses have been built on what was a potential school site. Hawkins suggested the board seek another site perhaps asking the Catholic board to release its hold on vacant property at Coronation Drive or Town land near Kestell Boulevard. The board's superintendent of business Stephen Parfeniuk said that the Catholic board told him it intended to build on that site, and that it wasn't interested in partnering with the board on a joint school build. Parfeniuk told trustees that a new school wasn't an option because it couldn't fulfill criteria required by the Ministry of Education, to have the school 80 per cent full within two years of occupying the building. The three trustees who voted against the staff recommendation to expand were: Vrooman, Peggy Russell (Ward 4 Burlington) and Kathryn Bateman-Olmstead (Ward 4 Oakville). Your Prescription to Complete Health Care ANNOUNCING OUR Glenashton Glenashton REOPENING Medical Centre Now Accepting New Patients Glenashton l h Dental Centre Pharmacy WALK-IN CLINIC Open 7 Days a Week Dr. Maya Barnouti... ...has been practising family medicine for the past four years in Windsor, Ontario and prior to that in Newfoundland. She has recently reopened the Glen Ashton Medical Clinic and is accepting new patients by appointment, or walk in at 333 Glenaston Dr. Unit #2. · Family Practice · Walk-In Clinic G · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Unit #2 905-844-1700 · Now Registering New Patients F Im W R E D T C B B G Evening & Weekend Appointments Available N E Dr. Harbans Singh Bamrah, BSc, DDS ation Canadian Dental Association Dr. Mandeep Sood, BSD, MSD Certified Specialist in Orthodontics Monday - Friday ................. 9am - 8pm Saturday ............................. 9am - 3pm For all your health care needs, Glenashton Pharmacy is here to serve you. Conveniently located adjacent to the walk-in clinic. · For your Health Care Information · Professional Consultation · Free Compliance Packaging · Talk to our pharmacist, Francois Boukhaled about annual medscheck & follow-ups · Free Delivery AUTOM A BLOOD TIC TALKING PRES MONITO SURE R Reg. Expires $124.99 May 30 /08 Receive $25 off Open 7 Days a Wee Week Monday - Friday ............... 9am onday am Saturday ......................... 10am urday d am Sunday............................ 10am - 2pm Sunday 0am Unit #3 · 905-842-5500 Unit #1 · 905-842-2300 Dundas St. Trafalgar Rd. 333 Glenashton Drive Oakville, Ontario Glenashton Dr. Upper Middle Rd. 9th Line th h