www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 18, 2008 - 3 Board will hear from public on May 20 Continued from page 1 Armed with the committee and public's input, senior board staff is now recommending closing two elementary schools -- New Central and Brantwood -- and recommending against building a new elementary school in Clearview. The closing of two schools is one more than recommended by PARC 14 when it completed its controversial report last February. After hearing the staff recommendation, the board agreed to defer its decision until its meeting on June 18 and invited members of southeast Oakville to participate in a public meeting on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. The staff recommendation would leave Oakville's southeast neighbourhoods with only two elementary English schools -- Chisholm and Maple Grove as the two Junior Kindergarten- Grade 6 schools, while the New Central, Brantwood and Clearview properties owned by the board would be sold. The so-called "two-school scenario" went before trustees Wednesday. The recommendation differs from the PARC 14 "three-school scenario" reached by that committee in February after a 27-13 vote in opposition to the two-school scenario. "I sat on the PARC committee; I spent 10 months of my life on that committee and the last four months it was once a week and they have chosen an option of two schools that wasn't even considered by the committee," said one upset committee member representing Brantwood. PARC 14 provided two scenarios (10 and 4) for review by senior board staff. · Scenario 10: JK- Grade 6 English schools at either New Central or Brantwood, Maple Grove and Chisholm; one Grade 1-6 French Immersion school at Linbrook; one Grade 7-8 dual track school at E.J. James; and one Grade 9- 12 at Oakville Trafalgar High School (OTHS). · Scenario 4: JK-6 English Schools at New Central, Linbrook and Chisholm; one Grades 1-6 French Immersion school at Maple Grove; one Grade 7-8 dual track school at E.J. James; and one Grade 9-12 at OTHS. Senior board staff presented trustees with PARC's Scenario 10, now called Scenario 1 and their own new recommendation, Scenario 2, which supports the French Immersion school in Linbrook, dual track middle school at E.J. James and Grade 9-12 in OTHS. "We reviewed [Scenario 10] and we came to a challenge and the challenge was from the Clearview community's perspective, one of the messages was, don't split our kids up," said education director Wayne Joudrie. "When we did that, what ended up happening was that we had one school with a 350 head count, another with 400 and the last school with about 200," he explained. If the staff-recommended scenario is chosen, it would provide schools of approximately 350 and 500 students, improve quality of programming, increase stability, and have more specialized teachers and teacher teaming, according to Joudrie. Board staff weighed its recommended scenario according to the 15 "values" provided in the PARC report, he said. "I feel that it's great news for the kids because it means that we are going to have larger schools with better programming and I think that all and all that's what's most important here, the kids," said Denise O'Connell, who was in the PARC committee and has a daughter attending Maple Grove. "None of our kids are suffering programming-wise or academically at all," said a Brantwood mother, who doesn't believe programming is an issue. As to building a new school in Clearview, "We did look at "I feel that it's great news for the kids because it means that we are going to have larger schools with better programming and I think that all and all that's what's most important here, the kids." Denise O'Connell, Maple Grove parent, PARC 14 member that as an option. What we know for sure is that it wouldn't qualify as a New Growth Funding," said Joudrie. President of the Clearview Oakville Community Alliance Michelle Sloane argued that in PARC 14, New Growth Funding didn't come into play. "We were told it doesn't. That's for the new areas. So all of a sudden it's a criteria, then why was Clearview in the PARC (study)? It makes no sense," said Sloane. Another factor against building a school in Clearview was the lack of a unified message. Joudrie said he would have considered it, if the whole community had supported the idea. The JK-Grade 6 schools recommended to remain open by board staff, Chisholm and Maple Grove, are 1.2 km away from each other, eliminating the possibility of a Clearview school and removing schools from the west end of the area (Brantwood and New Central), increasing the number of bussed students by 120. "They have literally gutted our neigbourhood of our public schools. They've pushed us all over to the other end of the community, where they now are going to have to bus our kids over to the east side of southeast Oakville," said a mother from Brantwood. "They are only doing this because our land is worth more," said Cat Allen, a parent of a Brantwood school student. "Their option is keeping Clearview together," said George Purcell. Clearview residents disagree. "It kept the south quiet, so they didn't have to come up to Clearview," said Sloane. With government funding and the sale of school properties, the staff recommendation would cost $5.9 million, but generate $6.6 million in funds. The PARC 14 recommendation would cost $4.3 million, but generate only $5.6 million with the sale of fewer school properties. The staff recommendation would result in a surplus $620,000. Within the scenario, Linbrook would receive $3.1 million towards eight classrooms and a gymnasium for a proposed capacity of 369 students, rather than the 236 it currently has. Linbrook's 2007 enrolment was 365 and estimated 2009 enrollment is 382 and 414 in 2015. "Basically it stays status quo. They are putting in $3.1 million into that school. Why wouldn't you leave the school as is? It's not necessary; that could go to a new school in Clearview," said Sloane. Chisholm School would receive four additional classrooms at the cost of $800,000, raising its capacity by 80 students for a total 310. Maple Grove will receive $2 million for 10 new classrooms. The proposed recommendation did not include renovation costs for both schools. "You've basically made one school because they are close and you have to over capacitate Maple Grove because Chisholm is too small," said Sloane. "It made an accommodation, rather a solution." For more information visit www.haltondsb.on.ca. GN UP ON LINE www.ultimatedrivers.ca Our in-car sessions include training on highways, freeways, night-time, collision prevention and winter driving FREE pickup from home, work or school for car lessons Special preparation & evaluation for the Ministr y Road T est Fleet of new model cars, flexible time seven days a week Cer tificate for highest insurance discount issued by MTO Classroom also available weekends Early Road T est arranged, G1 & G2 refresher courses $ MARCH BREAK SPECIAL 4 Day Condensed Program 9-12th & 13-16th 50 0FF Gift Certificates Available! 16 Years of Excellent Service "We Are Simply the Best" 905-8251172