Motion to Board by Lynn Graham

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Ottawa School Closures : One Thread

MOTION TO OCDSB - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1998 Presented by Lynn Graham

WHEREAS the solution to overcrowding in high-growth suburban areas does not lie in the excess space in inner-city schools;

WHEREAS a provincial commissioner (Taman Commission) in 1991 concluded that surplus space in older urban communities provides no viable or acceptable solution to pupil accommodation needs outside the Greenbelt;

WHEREAS the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board (OCCSB) has requested that the province address space needs outside the Greenbelt independently of space needs inside the Greenbelt;

WHEREAS the OCDSB has a critical need for new schools in growth areas in order to alleviate overcrowding and the effects of having students housed in portables;

WHEREAS the closure of schools will have harmful effects on community recreation, adult education and child care programs currently occupying school space;

WHEREAS the closure of schools will threaten the viability of rural communities and the urban core and will run counter to the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Official Plan which calls for an intensification of population growth inside the Greenbelt;

WHEREAS the provincial government promised the revised school capacities for the end of June 1998 but did not release this information until September 30, 1998;

WHEREAS the provincial government's space allocation formula is fundamentally flawed (100% utilisation virtually impossible, no consideration of enrolment projections, no consideration of many legitimate and creative, cost-effective uses of school space, etc.);

WHEREAS the board has no assurances that the provincial government will provide capital funds in the coming years, regardless of the number of per pupil spaces;

WHEREAS the board requires time to consider creative, cost-effective ways to use space in schools and time to consult school communities, regional and local governments and other community partners in a meaningful, rational way; and

WHEREAS the Ontario Public School Boards Association, the OCCSB and many large and rural boards have requested up to a two-year delay in determining surplus space;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the OCDSB insist that the provincial government:

1. Permit, without penalty, the OCDSB to address the space needs of schools outside the Greenbelt independently of the space needs of schools inside the Greenbelt; 2. Provide transition capital funds now to allow for new school construction in high growth areas outside the Greenbelt;

3. Give the board a two-year period, without penalty, to complete the process of dealing with surplus space;

4. Provide the board with adequate funds to cover school operating and maintenance costs;

5. Provide sufficient annual school renewal funds to permit the board to implement a long term facilities renewal program for older schools identified by the board to remain open.

And BE IT RESOLVED THAT the OCDSB:

6. Identify for the public specific problems associated with the provincial government directives regarding school accommodation; and

7. Implement these decisions through: (a) written communication with the Minister of Education and Training, with copies to other boards and local, regional and provincial politicians (b) a request for a meeting with the Minister of education and Training (c) the sponsoring of a forum on school accommodation (d) meetings with community leaders in Ottawa-Carleton and (e) the launching of a media campaign.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 1998


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