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 The report also talks about
the challenges that declining enrolment will have on the Board's
current and future capital plans. It projects enrolment will drop by
7.6 per cent at the elementary level and 10.6 per cent at the
secondary level over next five years. The enrolment decline
will both reduce available capital grants sharply and will create
challenges for the Board in meeting long-term debt commitments.
But with that decline and an
overall enrolment drop, there are still pockets of population growth
where new development is occurring. Out
of a total of 47 elementary schools, from 2008/09 to 2013/14, 39
schools are expected to experience a decline in enrolment, and 8
schools are expected to experience an increase. Declining
enrolment will present a number of opportunities to cost effectively
provide permanent accommodation to students through boundary
changes. Underutilized schools in declining areas will be able to
accommodate many of the excess pupils from high growth areas,
thereby reducing the current reliance on portable classrooms
(average age is in excess of 18 years old). Boundary changes can
often be difficult for the families affected; however, the benefits
of boundary changes are undeniable, as students and staff will
benefit from being in permanent accommodation.
The Board will establish an
ARAC (Accommodation Review Advisory Committee) to study boundary
change options and make recommendations to Trustees for St. Paul,
St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Marguerite d’Youville elementary
schools. A second ARAC will be established to create an attendance
boundary for the new North London Secondary School and study
boundary change options and make final recommendations to Trustees
for Catholic Central, John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Regina Mundi
College, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
The Board has decided to proceed
with an Accommodation Review of the Woodstock/Princeton area school
and an
ARC (Accommodation Review Committee) will be established to
study possible school closure and make final recommendations to
Trustees for St. Francis (Princeton), St. Michael’s, St. Patrick’s,
and St. Rita’s, by February 28, 2011. St. Francis and St. Rita’s
were cited as the most viable candidates for closure. Before any
decision are made, there will be at least four public input sessions
and the process will take at least a year. To
view the entire Enrolment and Accommodation Report, click HERE.
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For feedback,
submissions, suggestions and input, please contact:
j.boles@office.ldcsb.on.ca
or contact:
John Boles,
Manager of Communications,
519-663-2088, ext
40015
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Spotlight
is produced weekly by the
Communications Department of
the LDCSB.
Spotlight is a BRAVO
Award winner for demonstrated excellence, recognized by the
Canadian Association of Communicators in Education and a
winner of the Glorya Nanne Award from the Ontario
Association of Parents in Catholic Education for making a
substantial contribution to fostering better understanding of
Catholic Education.
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