The Halton District School Board (HDSB) has been warned about the frightening numbers for the newly opened Palermo Public School but will the figures make them implement manageable methods of delivering optional FI programming or will it spur them on to allow the FI enrollment takeover like many are predicting.
The Long Term Accommodation Plan provides figures and warnings indicating action is required by the HDSB. Not only is serious issues raised regarding Palermo Public School but warnings are raised regarding how French Immersion programming is delivered.
Remember, this is the same board that refused to put any caps or policies in place to ensure balanced enrollment remained at Palermo and deliberately forced a 5 times greater boundary for FI than English.
Even if 12 portables are installed on the property, the total capacity should be 980 students. Projections now go as high as 1,216 students. The report states the school enrollment will “increase to 133% in 2020“.
The HDSB has been criticized by many in the community for either taking away neighbourhood schools to the French Immersion optional program (in a single track environment) at opening or allowing an enrollment takeover by the board’s refusal to implement policies to ensure balanced enrollment remains at dual schools. For that reason, it was so disappointing to have this board once again not enforce guidelines that many felt were required to protect community schools from takeover.
Now, the proof is in this report.
This latest Accommodation Report provides figures and warnings that the HDSB’s method of managing its optional FI programming needs ‘review’. The numbers for Palermo are frightening.
As enrollment in schools in Glen Abbey are allowed to go below capacity, the HDSB has thus far refused to open up additional schools to offer FI programming. Instead of allowing children to take this program at community schools thus spreading the enrollment evenly, it opts for packing children into specific schools and Palermo seems to be the latest victim. Empty seats exist at schools while children are bussed all over our community either going to schools with FI or going to other schools because their community school is not open to them.
This latest report seems damning and shows the enrollment takeover of Palermo Public School. The question remains, without boundary reviews that force a more balanced enrollment for both streams, who will be kicked out physically from the building.
The imbalance of FI to English enrollment may take a few years to force the English community out but the figures included in this report and the dire predictions noted clearly indicate to many that someone will have to leave.
Accommodation Report – section 3. ERA 114 states:
Captain R. Wilson, Emily Carr and Palermo Public Schools
The Board opened Palermo PS in September 2010 as a dual track school (JK to Grade 7 English Program and Grade 1 to 4 French Immersion). The school also opened as a school providing full day JK/SK. The review area will continue to exhibit ongoing accommodation pressures as enrolment increases due to demographic factors (young school aged population), French Immersion preference and new residential growth. The area in question will continue to see enrolment growth over the next ten years. Utilization will increase from 91% in 2010 to 125% in 2020 (half-time JK/SK). With the implementation of full day JK/SK, this utilization would increase to 133% in 2020.
Enrolment at Captain R. Wilson and Emily Carr Public Schools will continue to be sufficiently accommodated in their respective building and portable capacities. However, enrolment at Palermo PS is projected to exceed Report 11001 page 4 building and portable capacity by 2013. There are no available elementary school sites in the review area that the Board could access to construct another facility. Although there is no current need for an addition, there may be a need to consider this at Palermo PS, given a projected enrolment of 1216 pupils by 2020. An elementary school of that size (over 1200) is problematic in terms of having sufficient space to provide program (i.e. library, gymnasium, computer lab, outdoor play space). Consideration should be given in terms of revisiting the potential delivery of the French Immersion program in schools within this review area, as it would appear that French Immersion enrolments at Palermo PS are projected to be at 560 pupils (by 2013) and 690 pupils by 2020.
The report indicates the following enrollment stats for this new school.
OTG = 704
Portable capacity = 12
Total capacity = 980
Actual 2010 capacity = 594
Capacity projected at the following:
2011 = 751
2012 = 890
2013 = 1,021
2014 = 1,137
2015 = 1,179
2016 = 1,219
2017 = 1,225
2018 = 1,241
2019 = 1,231
2020 = 1,216
Now one must ask why a new school’s enrollment is allowed to exceed capacity in such a serious way (even with portables) when other schools are left far below capacity.
We as a community want to know:
- How does the HDSB or Planning assume the Palermo community has a preference for FI programming when the school has been forced to take 5 times more households for French than English? Is this not a deliberate method of skewing the numbers to make it appear the designated school has a programming preference?
- Why does the HDSB refuse to have FI delivery occur at local community schools instead of favoring STFI?
- Why will this board not consider the impact of its FI delivery for the entire community in relation to reduced busing, not overpacking schools, protecting community schools, etc.?
- How can the Ministry of Education consider funding additional schools in Oakville when school enrollment in nearby schools is under capacity and overpopulation seems to be occurring because of the FI delivery method used?
- What will it take for the Ministry of Education to finally provide policy/procedures to ensure quality education is delivered to all in a manageable method?
The Palermo community and all residents in Halton must demand that the HDSB develop a sustainable plan to protect the enrollment at Palermo even if this requires either FI caps and/or opening up additional schools to offer the program.
Let us know what you think.
Good Job Oakville Chitchat on getting this information to the community…..and the community should also be concerned that the boundary and accommodation review which is just getting under way is also looking at criteria to measure the impact and effectiveness of boundary options which will include: Viable numbers in a dual-track school to support both English and French programs. This information is posted on the West Oaks Family of Schools website, which is run by Trustees Bateman-Olmstead and Don Vrooman. What Ward 4 needs to know is that for several years in the Long Term Accommodation Plans it has been identified that West Oaks High school would support the English Track programming for that community who undoubtedly need that school. That said, we can rest assured that our Trustees will find a way to change all that, just as they have done in the past. We need the community of West Oaks Trails,Palermo as well as Captain R. Wilson and Emily Carr to stand their ground for what should ultimately be their high-school.
I don’t understand why there cannot be a cap of students who enter FI? If there was unending space and funding for it, fine. There is not. It is costing our board so much money and time on so many levels to accomodate FI. It is not a right. I think we are getting bulldozed by FI in Halton!!
Hazel we could not agree more with you. Residents during the accommodation process asked for caps. The Ward 4 trustee tabled a new motion at approximately 10:30 with lots of provisions for others but no protection re: enrollment balance and/or caps for this new school. The Planning dept. has warned it will be a crisis and stated the board must reevaluate the way FI is delivered. History tells many they will not and Halton has many dual schools that end up completly French for many reasons. Many are screaming that mandated programming (English etc.) have no protection deliberately. We will see if this new board of trustees make a difference. So far we have not seen them respond to requests asking what they are doing re: balanced enrollment. We can tell you that we have heard from Palermo and other community members and they will fight to have this school remain a community school not just a FI school. We are told by many that if they eventually get the population under 50% they could do something with a PARC and all the protections put in place with a PARC. That is what we are hearing. Lets see if that ends up the reality of ‘grow it from the ground up’ FI school. With the new high school accommodations review meetings and this new school not being protected re: balanced enrollment, the board may have quite an outcry from the community this time. You can only do this so often before it becomes viral.
What exactly do you mean by “caps”? Are you suggesting that only those fortunate enough to have their name pulled in a lottery system should have the right to enrol their children in FI? Or perhaps that by making the choice, we should lose the right to attend our community school? When parents choose to enrol their child in French immersion, we are making a significant life decision. As a Canadian, I value the French language as an important part of our culture. How is it right to suggest allowing only a select few this opportunity? Learning to speak French will provide increased job opportunities for my children and as long as the HDSB continues to offer FI in the public school system, all of those that feel this choice is an important pathway for their child should be entitled to have equal right to the program. Clearly there are many families in Oakville that feel the same way, hence the situation at hand. In my opinion, ALL schools should be dual track. This was the case where I grew up and all of us benefitted by being able to attend our local community school. There was no resentment of each other, no exclusion, no capacity issues, no caps, and… parents supported each others choice.
Yes, in a nutshell. It is OPTIONAL programming. There is not unending money in the HDSB budget for it. Until Special Education needs are MET, I really don’t care to hear the complaints about FI. Until the struggling learners in our Board get their needs met, I don’t think we can discuss pouring endless money into additional optional programming. How is it right to suggest allowing only typical learners a decent education?? Learning how to READ and WRITE in English will provided increased opportunities for MY child – and all those with children with any type of special education needs! In my opinion all schools should meet the needs of all students – isn’t that a basic pathway for them?? But that won’t be happening any time soon I fear. So, families go on pouring money into the pockets of specialized tutors (almost $20,000 to date for our family) in order to keep our kids from falling through the cracks of our system. Is that fair or right? No, but we are not willing to ‘fight the system’ at the expense of our children. There is a French Board where students can attend and get an excellent French education, in town. It is very sad that parents feel pitted against one another. That comes from having to choose which students get their needs met. Next election, speak up when it can matter and does count. This is an issue not just for our Board but the Ministry of Education!
I am quite certain that we all want what is best for our individual children. Your needs for your children are no more than important than my needs for my children and visa versa. Having said that, if FI is going to be offered for some…it must continue to be offered to all that view this option as an important one. For the record, FI is an inclusive program that is available to all students and accommodates all learning needs, just as well (or not so well as has been your experience), as a straight English track program. I most certainly could not agree with you more that all schools should be required and held accountable to meet the needs of all children. To indicate that all FI studentst are typical learners is highly inaccurate. Many families require additional educational assistance through tutors, including myself. Your ‘fight’ should be just as you have stated above that special education needs are met. Period. This has nothing to do with French vs. English education. I wonder if you also oppose the full time kindergarten program for all of the same reasons. You suggest the French board as if it is a French only education that we are seeking for our children. For most of us, this is not the case. I sincerely hope that somehow we are all able to have the needs of our children met and that FI continues to thrive.
Respectfully,
KB
Thanks so much for your comments and we do actually agree on several items. I do agree that French should be properly taught in all schools. Whether that is FI (in its current form in Halton only being 50%/50% (the lowest percentage for fluency) is up for debate by many specializing in French as well as English parents. The Ministry needs to improve French education for all children by updating that program so that all children get proper and updated French allowing them the ability to become bilingual (not just those picking FI. Having said that, more centers offering FI in community schools would also be helpful capping numbers so that no one program takes over a community school forcing out neighbourhood children. This is not the case (and this you could refer it as caps) is not presently happening in all of Halton. In Oakville they set up STFI schools forcing entire communities out that don’t take the program. How is that fair to neighbourhoods-it isn’t. Schools should not be set up only for programs but rather communities. For dual schools there should be an FI program that has a sustainable boundary (not the 5 to 1 imbalance right now). That may have worked years ago when FI was not being chosen by many but even experts now admit this does not work. It overcrowds because it takes too many from outside the commmunity and puts them into a school. It also forces more busing. If children from say the area 3 and above went to a local school offering FI they could walk to their own local school and take this program. The 5 to 1 boundary is equally not fair to FI families. They should also be able to go to a local school around them for a program. If there were more schools than the many families that enter in grade 1 that cannot manage this program could leave the program and not the school which is not the case with STFI schools. The success of this program cannot solely be based on the entry numbers because there are typical grades that students leave this program but these are not being taken into account when our board does its roadshows promoting it and making parents take it even if they don’t want to. Your family may geniunely want the program like many others but there are many families that feel pressured into it (that is a fact as we are hearing from many families). At Palermo for example parents go to these orientation meetings and leave feeling that if they care about their education then they better go into FI or their child will be in a minority number English class etc. When did the regular English program became the inferior choice! The program in not the issue necessarily it is how it is sold and at what cost to families. Spec ed needs and how they are not being addressed while we as a board spend vast money bussing and promoting our current wants is an area that I could write about for weeks having dealt first hand with heartbreaking stories of neglect in our own community. This is the entire issue with FI in Halton – it has been extremely successful pitting families against families for basic education for kids. Hopefully sanity will prevail soon. Maybe the Ministry who has now refused to fund a new school in Oakville (seeing we have approx. 500 empty seats) will finally put the breaks on this runaway train and make our trustees finally accountable for their decisions. Deliver quality education period in neighbourhood schools and accommodate the needs beyond that in a way that can be managed accordingly. Why should Halton be any different than any other area in Canada.
Mrs. Bowman why don’t you offer dual track in all schools. So that every kid wether if or regular could go to their neighbourhood school! I’m sure you wouldn’t want to send your kid to Palermo. Students are just numbers in the hdsb little game.
As I suggested in my first post, I would strongly support a dual track system in more or all of the Halton areas Schools. Although this may make logical sense, that does not mean that HDSB would be able to financially support this ideal scenario.
Can anyone reading this thread educate me or point me in the right direction to learn more about what financial support the builders in the area have provided to the school board? I am not clear on the process between the builders, planning departments, and school boards when shaping these communities.
I need some info on Palermo. What is the experience of parents whose kids attend Palermo? And what is the enrolment number like? In the most recent Fraser rankings, Palermo has a 7.7 rating which is pretty decent. Should there be any concerns for me if my child will be going into kindergarten at Palermo this year?
Thanks
Sadly this whole capacity and annual rezoning review has only 1 set of victims – the kids who are being bounced from school to school ( year after year) just because as a community we are growing, building permits are being handed out, developers are smiling to the bank but the existing and new families coming into oakville must be prepared for this reality i hope realtors are sharing this with their cllients too.
If you have school age kids JK to Grade 5 and are comtemplating french immersion, don’t be surprised they may be attending a new school each year of their school aged lives cause hey thats the price to pay to live in oakville where school administrators and politicians have 46 options to address the issue but their preferred option is one in which rezoning will be a yearly exercise, the optional attendance program is pointless and the appeal process even more hopeless.
Infrastructure is everything- just ask a well trained city planner, and if we stopped to think are we setting up these kids for success or failure?
But oh lightbulb moment – Canada is a bilingual country eh? or is it just my imagination that our official languages are English and French but for some reasons, our public school systems have not been set up to comfortably , rationally and proficiently offer these 2 official languages from Grade 1 to 8.
To whom much is given( hint hint my tax payers money , my daily contribution as a law abiding citizen, my decision to live, shop and travel in canada much is expected.