Credit View’s enrolment prompts Board review : Caledon Citizen : https://caledoncitizen.com

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Credit View’s enrolment prompts Board review

By Bill Rea
The Peel District School Board is likely to conduct a Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) for several schools on the west side of Caledon, and the future of Credit View Public School could be in the balance.
The Board's Physical Planning and Building Committee Monday night accepted the staff recommendation to conduct the PAR on Credit View, as well as on Alloa, Alton, Belfountain and Caledon Central Public Schools. The recommendations will be included in a staff report that will be going before the full board later this month.
The recommendation was part of the Board's Annual Planning Document.
Caledon Trustee Stan Cameron said there's been no decision about closing any schools yet. “That's not what that's about,” he said.
Board planners have been looking at the low enrolment numbers, and he said parents were sent letters in June advising them that a PAR could be coming.
According to the Planning Document, enrolment at the school was 81 in September. The Ministry Rated Capacity is 104. The school has students from kindergarten to Grade 8, meaning it averages less than 10 students per grade. Cameron pointed out having that number of kids spread over so many grades creates program-related questions and issues.
Cameron said the other area schools must be included in the PAR, because if Credit View closes, they have to have accommodations for those students.
Developments in north Brampton are resulting in more students going to Alloa, so Cameron said it's expected that facility will soon be full. There's space at Belfountain, but it only goes to Grade 6, which means the older students might end up going to Caledon Central.
“Nobody can say any school is going to close at this point,” Cameron stressed.
He added the PAR process will include community consultation and meetings before staff makes any recommendations.
“They're going to do an exhaustive consultation with the community,” he said.
If the recommendation is to have a school closed, that will still have ratified by the Board, and they will have to decide where to put the students.
He also said one of the problems facing the Credit View community is the price of homes and land in the area is out of the reach of many young families, and there are no new subdivisions in the works for the vicinity.

Post date: 2016-11-09 16:50:16
Post date GMT: 2016-11-09 21:50:16
Post modified date: 2016-11-17 08:14:53
Post modified date GMT: 2016-11-17 13:14:53