HWDSB Chair Brennan makes the case for a school closures moratorium but.... A famous quote from a not so distant past, The Arrogance of Power and the Politics of Deceit is the most appropriate way to describe the position statement found in a piece of correspondence dated December 9, 2013, to the Ministry of Education. Apparently it is a response to questions posed by the Ministry and answered by Chair Brennan with orchestration (Chair Brennans word) by Trustee Bishop. The entire document can be found here bit.ly/1gPysYM under action items select number 10. Brennans remarks appear in quotes below; the incongruities contained within the document are staggering. Part 1 - The comments appear to be enlightened ARC reviews are divisive and emotionally charged for the students and the community. We also recognize the challenges associated with the ARC process. It is a very time consuming and emotionally charged issue. Declining enrolment can result from the ARC process and school closures We started the ARC process in 2011. The first results of this process will not been seem until 2016. The extended time period creates uncertainty for parents, students, staff and the community, which can have a negative effect on enrolment in the communities being studied. School closures have a harmful effect on the community. Closures may also damage relations with the coterminous municipality (that would be the City of Hamilton), particularly in urban areas,as the closures may be seen as the potential loss of green space, historic buildings, and schools as hubs for the community. HWDSB must reverse the trend of closures and divestiture There needs to be a comprehensive financial plan that goes beyond simply selling surplus properties, to enable boards to lease excess space or to share excess space with other community partners, municipalities, ministries, and other school boards. There are huge financial implications to school closures The ARC process has expenses related to it. Consultants are required to assist staff with the process. In order to meet the needs of a diverse community, there are costs associated with the public meetings. There may be loss in GSN funding with temporary declines in enrolment in the studied areas. It is also important to realize that while the end result is expected to be better programming opportunities for our students and operating efficiencies, there will be increases in transportation costs, for example, as more students are eligible for transportation to school. Excess space provides greater opportunities for community partnerships. Our excess space may be one way to achieve efficiencies. The recommendation of the Declining Enrolment Task Force in this area should be considered with regards to greater opportunities for partnerships. We would like to see more shared facilities and synergies with our municipalities,social agencies and the three other school boards. Again, this could result in the use of the excess space and create savings within other Ministries of the province. We fully support schools as hubs in the communities they serve. Part 2 - Chair Brennan then makes the case for continuing the school closures to achieve the one-size-fits-all-big-box goal for education All of the above are nice to have, however this is what HWDSB is really doing. HWDSB takes this issue very seriously. We have taken steps to right size our secondary panel and reduce underutilized space. Our Trustees made decisions for reviews that looked at 15 schools in three areas of the district. These decisions will close eight secondary schools, eliminate 4,893 unfunded pupil spaces, remove an estimated $155 million in deferred maintenance and operating costs and fill remaining schools to 90 per cent of their capacity by 2020. In the elementary panel, it is anticipated that over the next 5-6 years, HWDSB will complete ARCs in all of the elementary review areas to reduce the surplus of approximately 5,000 pupil places. In order to become more efficient we cant cut administration costs HWDSB supports increased transparency and accountability to the public it serves and applauds the Ministry for those changes. That said, HWDSB would like to remind the Ministry that those improvements are costly in terms of non-instructional administration time and reporting requirements. A reduction in board administration is not consistent with the initiatives currently underway. HWDSB supports hiding increased busing costs under separate funding formulas, ONE ROAD, ONE BUS, ONE POLICY. HWDSB supports the Ministry direction for Transportation Consortiums, including the concept of a separate entity, and wishes to move more quickly to the concept of One Road, One Bus, One Policy. HWDSB looks forward to a more comprehensive, equitable, effective and efficient model through the Consortium objectives. Boards need to be funded so that all students receive a similar standard of transportation service wherever they live in the province, and regardless of the school system to which they belong. Summary Chair Brennan offers the most bizarre advice to date, especially since the HWDSB is currently spending $42,000,000.00 on new offices. Savings could be incurred by other Ministries placing offices and agencies in vacant spaces in schools rather than building new separate facilities where publicly funded space exists ....and by the way that new E-learning environment is going to cost a lot more money In addition, HWDSB’s experience with E-Learning is that it requires a significant amount of engagement with a teacher and that it is unlikely that it would create the savings that are anticipated. .......There are barriers to expanding the digital environment including cost barriers and staff development for teachers in this new environment. Gary Santucci Hamilton, Ontario
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:12:35 +0000
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