St. Theresa / St. John ARC

April 11, 2012Fourth and Final Public ARC Meeting

AGENDA Prayer Process to Date ARC Preliminary Report Community Input Next Steps Questions

PROCESSFEBRUARY 24, 2011

Board by resolution declares St. Theresa and St. John “under review”

FEBRUARY 25th

Letter sent to parents of both schools

NOVEMBER 1ST

Director appoints ARC

NOVEMBER 7TH

Letter sent home to parents advising them ofARC process and first meeting date

NOVEMBER 17th

First ARC Committee MeetingBoard administration provides ARC with

School Information Profiles for each school

DECEMBER 12th

First ARC Public Meeting (held at St. Theresa Catholic School)….

(excerpt from Minutes of December 12, 2011 Meeting – full version posted on website)

2. Presentation (by C. Spina) Overview of Meeting and ProcessPurpose/MandateCapital Plan (by S. Colizza)Ministry will not decide on funding until ARC decision madeIn this instance, geographic location is what trigged which schools were to be reviewedARC ProcessAll information will be posted on the Board websiteOptions/IssuesOption should read “one school into St. Basil Secondary Site”Three possible options were presented. These are not the only options.Issues2-4% yearly decrease in enrolmentApproximately 8,000 students in 1999; now approximately 5,000Funding for improvements to St. John siteOpportunities for FeedbackAll information to be posted on Board website

 3. Second Public Meeting

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm at St. John School. 4. Open Discussion

Items raised re: Options, Issues, Questions are posted on the Board website. 

JANUARY 17th

ARC Committee Meeting

JANUARY 31st

ARC Committee Meeting

FEBRUARY 6th

Second Public ARC Meeting (held at St. John Catholic School)

….

(excerpt from Minutes of February 6th, 2012 Meeting – full version on website)

3. Issues and Concerns – C. Smith and M. MurthaIssues and concerns raised at the first public meeting were reviewed.Handouts were provided to parents.

 4. Enrolment Projections – C. Spina

Enrolment projections for 2011/12 to 2015/16 were presented, along with facility capacities. 5. School Information Profiles (SIPs) – M. Murtha

SIPs for St. Theresa Catholic School and St. John Catholic School were used as information tools for the committee.SIPs are posted on Board website and available to public.

 6. Options – C. Smith

Six viable options were presented.Four non-viable options were presented.Parents were asked if other options should be considered.

 Continued…..

7. Questionsa) How would St. John students be split between St. Theresa and Our Lady of Lourdes?

- this is just an option-committee would look at Board history regarding how students have been split

in the past  

b) How would double recesses work?- grades would be split and 2 separate recesses would be held at different times to

allow full use of the school yard so that students have enough room to play 

c) Was there an option to amalgamate both schools into St. Basil site?- three elementary schools are already being allocated to the St. Basil site, so there

only remains enough room for one more school 

d) What is the time frame for when changes need to occur?- the ARC committee will bring their final report to the Director on April 16th; the Director makes his recommendation to the Board on May 16th; the Board votes on the Director’s recommendation on June 13th

- no timing has been decided for facility changes because it will depend on which recommendation is made

8. Next MeetingThird Public Meeting is being held on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm at St. Theresa Catholic School.Presentations by delegations will be heard at that meeting. Delegates must apply in writing to the Board by

Tuesday, February 28th. Presentations are to be limited to 15 minutes.Fourth and Final Public Meeting is to be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The ARC will present their preliminary report with recommendation.

MARCH 1stARC Committee Meeting

MARCH 6th

Third Public ARC Meeting (held at St. Theresa Catholic School)

….

(excerpt from Minutes of March 6th, 2012 Meeting – full version on website)

3. Review of Process - C. SmithReviewed ARC process to dateOutlined steps taken at each meetingStated process still to be completed

 4. Issues & Options Matrix – C. Smith

Explained legend, overall layout of matrix explainedReviewed options being considered and committee’s rating of same

 5. Questions/Concerns Raised by Parents

Zoning issues: would out-of zone students be grandfathered? would out-of-zone requests be still accepted? No changes will be made to current out-of-zone approvals.Will the start time for Our Lady of Lourdes school change? Time may change to coincide with bussing schedule.How much weight does public input have? The decision is Board-based, not Ministry. All input from the public is being considered, and parental input requested.What will happen to St. John’s School if Option #4 is chosen? Will it be phased out?Will the enrolment projection information be sent home to parents in order to help them understand the options available?

continued…

Questions/Concerns Raised by Parents… continued

Transportation: this can be a significant negative impact for schools going to the St. Basil site, re: congestion, busy street (St. George’s Avenue), rushed traffic in that area, busier bus bay, more parent/teacher traffic in parking areas, etc.

  If the option to move St. John’s School to Our Lady of Lourdes School is chosen, can the students be moved prior to 2016? St. John’s School will not close September 2012, but other options will be considered.Are the Trustees being kept well informed of discussions held at public meetings? Should they be present at a public meeting to hear the parents’ concerns first hand? A letter should be sent home to parents on how to access the ARC website and provide the ARC Committee email address for parents to email concerns/questions.Possibly a vote should be taken to chose the final option to be presented to the Board. Public meetings are about issues and receiving input from all parents present.Can parents from transferring (closing) schools have input into organization? ARC can provide recommendations for consideration – previous ARC’s have provided.

MARCH 28thARC Committee Meeting

APRIL 11th

Fourth and Final Public Arc Meeting

Presentation of the Preliminary Report

Community Input for Final Revisions

NEXT STEPSApril 16th

Final report presented to Director (posted on website)

Director determines date for Board decision on recommendation

April 17th

ARC presents final report to Board

May 16th

Director presents administration analysis and recommendations to Board

June 13th

Board votes on Director’s recommendation

QUESTIONS