27 May, 2008, Belleville, ON—The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) will ask for public input about the future of three schools in West Belleville. The three schools are Prince Charles School, Sir John A. Macdonald School, and Sir Mackenzie Bowell Public School. At last night's public meeting, Board members voted to establish an Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) for West Belleville. The Ministry of Education has advised the Board that there is a strong likelihood that approximately $2.6 million will be provided in order to fund a solution to the Prohibitive to Repair (PTR) designation given to Sir Mackenzie Bowell Public School.

The ARC will consist of parents/guardians, school and board staff, municipal and business leaders, and an intermediate student form Sir Mackenzie Bowell Public School. Their goal will be to study, report and make recommendations on the options for these schools. This process is expected to be ongoing throughout the 2008 – 2009 school year and requires a minimum of six public meetings. An information meeting will be held in June.

More information is available online at the accommodation review Web page.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board serves approximately 17,100 students each day at 46 elementary and 8 secondary schools. Supporting student achievement is the goal of approximately 1,800 teaching and support staff who, in addition to the contributions of caring volunteers and community partners, share their passion for teaching and learning. The district covers a wide geographical area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south and Quinte West to the west.

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For more information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, (613) 966-1170 or 1 800 267-4350, extension 2354

Backgrounder

At its meeting of January 28, 2008, the Board reviewed the long term study prepared by Watson and Associates and approved a recommendation that an ARC be created for West Belleville schools including Prince Charles School, Sir Mackenzie Bowell Public School, Sir John A. Macdonald School, William R. Kirk School and Centennial Secondary School, at such time as the Ministry of Education approves funding for Sir Mackenzie Bowell under the PTR initiative.

Prior to the study, administration had applied to the Ministry for funding under the PTR initiative, however, it was unclear at the time whether the requested funding would be approved. The Ministry process for application to the PTR initiative required that administration provide a specific proposal, recognizing that an ARC would need to consider all options and provide recommendations prior to final Board approval of a preferred solution.

In application to the Ministry, administration provided details for a proposal that would include the closure of Sir Mackenzie Bowell Public School and renewal, renovations and additions to both Sir John A. Macdonald School and Prince Charles School. In this proposal, Sir John A. Macdonald and Prince Charles would both become JK to Grade 8 schools thereby retaining students within their respective communities. The additions at both schools would include larger gymnasiums, associated change-rooms and conversion of existing gymnasiums to library resource centres and computer labs. Extensive renewal needs are required at both buildings including new fire alarm systems, roofing, lighting, windows and heating system modifications. The total cost for the project would be up to $7,700,000 assuming all work described above is completed.

Eligible PTR funding is estimated at $2,600,000. The remaining funds would need to be provided through existing sources such as the enrolment pressure grant, building renewal grant, or Good Places to Learn (GPL) initiative.

In recent discussions with the Ministry of Education, it is evident that there is a strong possibility that requested PTR funding will be approved. The Ministry of Education has reviewed the proposed solution submitted by administration and has indicated that it is a strong candidate under the conditions of the PTR initiative. Administration recommends that an ARC be formed so that all possible options related to the PTR process can be examined. The ARC would need to review the value of each option to students, the community, the board and local economy as outlined in Ministry of Education guidelines and board policy.

While administration was required to submit one proposal to the Ministry to address the Sir Mackenzie Bowell PTR initiative designation, it is recognized by the Ministry and administration that other solutions may be considered and recommended to the Board by the ARC. The Ministry is flexible in use of PTR funds for other solutions provided that it addresses the needs of the communities and schools.