Staff Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School

The Accommodation Review Process for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board came one step closer to conclusion last night with Director of Education, Catherine McCullough’s recommendations to Trustees with respect to the North/West and South/Central Planning Areas.

Before making her recommendations to the Board, McCullough thanked the members of the Accommodation Review Committees for their commitment to a lengthy process that began in February 2008. McCullough also acknowledged the valuable input of Watson and Associates Economists Ltd., as an ARC Facilitator in providing counsel to the ARC Steering Committee within the framework of the Ministry of Education’s Pupil Accommodation Review Process.
With respect to the North/West Planning Area, the Director recommended the following elements may proceed, subject to Board funding:

(1) At this time, the value of the St. Mary Elementary School to the students, the Board, the economy and the community of Capreol, outweighs the financial benefit of closure.

(2) That the St. Mary Elementary School Grade 7 and 8 students and programming be consolidated into St. Anne Elementary School commencing September 2009.

(3) That a section of the current St. Mary Elementary School be demolished, using Facility Renewal Program (FRP) funding, to best serve the needs of JK to Grade 6 programming.

For future planning McCullough also proposed that the following recommendations be incorporated in the Board’s Long-Term Capital Plan subject to Board funding:

(1) That the Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School facility be renovated to allow for the implementation of Grade 7 to 12 programming at a date to be determined.

(2) That the implementation of Grade 7 to 12 programming at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School include the construction of a Multi-Media Resource Centre.

(3) The St. Anne Elementary School Grade 7 and 8 students and programming would then be consolidated into Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School.

With respect to the South/Central Planning Area, the Director recommended the following elements may proceed, subject to Ministry funding:

(1) That the current school communities are ‘grandfathered’, when implementing the new enrolment boundaries for this planning area.

(2) Construction of a new “Green” Dual-track JK to Grade 8 Elementary School and a Multi-Media Technology Plaza on the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School site, to include all of Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Francis and St. David Elementary Schools, and all of the current JK to Grade 6 students from St. Theresa and St. Christopher Elementary Schools.

(3) Renovation of the existing St. Francis Elementary School with Dual-track JK to Grade 6 programming to include all of the current students from St. Francis, Corpus Christi and St. Michael Elementary Schools.

(4) Renovation of the existing St. David Elementary School with Regular JK to Grade 6 programming, to include further community partnerships aimed at the expansion of the current programming within a holistic service model. Contingent upon consultation with the school community, the participation in the Grade 7 to 12 programming at the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School campus may be re-examined.

(5) That the revised boundaries apply to all new families within this planning area.

Director of Education, Catherine McCullough noted in her presentation that Sudbury Catholic District School Board staff will develop an implementation plan for the school consolidations in the South/Central Planning Area. “This implementation plan will include consultations with all stakeholders. The completed plan will then be communicated to all school communities prior to initial implementation. The recommendations herein are intended to provide the students under our care with a Catholic Education that is of the highest quality possible,” concluded McCullough.

In accordance with the its Pupil/School Accommodation Review Regulation BR 10, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is in the process of conducting an Accommodation Review for its South/Central and North/West family of schools. Schools were selected for review purposes based on their potential for growth over the coming years (given the present trend) and the possibility that they may qualify for funding to build new schools under the Ministry of Education’s Prohibitive to Repair grants. Sudbury Catholic Schools Director of Education, Catherine McCullough will recommend an action plan to Trustees on the meeting of May 6, 2008.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is committed to providing a full range of educational opportunities equitably distributed across a broad and diverse geographical area. Due to ever-changing factors such as mobile population, changes in funding, new legislation, changing in educational objectives, community aspirations and physical limitations of buildings, the Board is mitigated to monitor and evaluate all schools on a regular basis.

Given the present state of its priorities, the Board will be focussing its attention on the “South/Central” and “North/West” schools planning areas for the purpose of this Accommodation Review which will include the following schools;

South/Central Elementary:
Corpus Christi, Marymount Academy (Elementary),
St. Christopher, St. David, St. Francis, St. James, St. Joseph, St. Michael, St. Theresa

South/Central Secondary:
St. Benedict CSS, Marymount Academy (secondary)

North/West Elementary Schools:
Immaculate Conception, St. Anne, St. Charles (elementary), St. Mary

North/West Secondary:
Bishop Alexander Carter CSS

The School Accommodation Review may result in such changes as boundary adjustments, major additions, renovations and alterations to school buildings, blending or twinning arrangements for school organization and/or programs or school consolidations

The Board is in the process of informing parents, staff, school councils, and school communities of the logistics and time lines regarding its Accommodation Review. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has hired the firm of CN Waston and Associates, (one of Canada’s leading economic firms) to prepare population, household, employment and student enrolment forecasts in the City of Greater Sudbury and more specifically in the planning areas of the schools under review. This information will greatly assist the Sudbury Catholic District School Board in assessing opportunities for long term growth and development and help guide the Board in the implementation of accommodation strategies that will serve to enhance student learning.
Accommodation Review Committees (ARC’s) will be created to provide the Sudbury Catholic District School Board with information re School Valuation Framework and applying this framework to the schools under review, giving consideration to the value of the students, community, school board and the local economy.

The members of the ARC’s will include representative membership from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, each school, school community and a municipal representative from each of the local municipalities in which the school(s) under review are located.

George Middleton, Chair of Sudbury Catholic Schools welcomes the Accommodation Review. “The Accommodation Review is a process that all Board’s in Ontario undertake in order to continually update their long term capital plans,” stated Middleton. “It provides our board with the opportunity to update student enrolment perspectives and assess long term capital expenditures to provide optimum programs and facilities for our students. This is the start of a year long process and decisions will be made only after an extensive review is conducted. Through consultation, a plan will be developed to benefit students and a business case will be presented for funding from the Ministry of Education whether it be for expansion of some schools or to build new school(s).

Accommodation Review: Director’s Recommendations

Sudbury Catholic Board Places Schools Under Accommodation Review