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Ward 1 and 2 Trustee Judith Bishop has posted a new article on her blog, “Dalewood ARC Q&A”. Please see it here: http://allchildrenspotential.blogspot.com/2012/03/dalewood-arc-q-and.html

In an email dated Friday, March 2, and posted to here (https://awwca.ca/2012/03/02/accommodation-review-request-from-trustee-judith-bishop/), Judith Bishop reached out to her constituents to ask our opinion on the two proposals put forward in the Dalewood area review.  The We Need 3 campaign felt that a number of statements in her email required clarification in order to get a true picture of where the community stands.
We have posted a response on our website which you can read here:  http://weneed3.com/response.html

The We Need 3 campaign to save Prince Philip School and keep George R. Allan from being overcrowded, needs your support.  Here are some ways you can help:

Check out our response to Judith Bishop at http://weneed3.com/response.html

‘Like’ us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Need-Three-Campaign-to-save-Prince-Philip-School/312486295466536

Request one of our lawn signs by contacting Eric Bumbaca at ebumbaca@primus.ca

Sign the petitions at ( http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-prince-philip-elementary-school-open-in-ainslie-wo.html ), and (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/westdale-residents-for-local-schools-and-healthy-kids.html ).

Write the trustees, the Minister, and local MPP’s and ask them to support the ARC’s proposal to keep Prince Philip open.

tim.simmons@hwdsb.on.ca, robert.barlow@hwdsb.on.ca, studenttrustee@hwdsb.on.ca ,

judith.bishop@hwdsb.on.ca,ray.mulholland@hwdsb.on.ca , todd.white@hwdsb.on.ca,

laura.peddle@hwdsb.on.ca, lillian.orban@hwdsb.on.ca,wes.hicks@hwdsb.on.ca,

alex.johnstone@hwdsb.on.ca , jessica.brennan@hwdsb.on.ca, karen.turkstra@hwdsb.on.ca ,minister.edu@ontario.ca, tmcmeekin.mpp@liberal.ola.org, lbroten.mpp@liberal.ola.org, ahorwath-co@ndp.on.ca

Calling can be even more effective.  Please consider taking the time to call the trustees individually before the vote on April 16:

Tim Simmons                905-308-6832

Robert Barlow                905-308-2483

Judith Bishop                 905-512-5713

Ray Mulholland              905-547-2237

Todd White                    289-237-1644

Laura Peddle                 289-238-9284

Lillian Orban                  905-573-8181

Wes Hicks                    905-383-2222

Alex Johnstone              905-515-7082

Jessica Brennan            905-627-3820

Karen Turkstra               905-515-8726

One of the most important things you can do is attend the Special Hearing on Tuesday, March 20 at 6 p.m. at the Education Centre, 100 Main St. W. If you wish to speak, you must pre-register by contacting Heather Miller at heather.miller@hwdsb.on.ca or 905.527.5092 ext. 2279 by March 19. Childcare will be provided free of charge but must be pre-booked by calling 905.527.5092 ext 2411.

Attend the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, April 16, the day the trustees will vote on which option they support.  It is very important that as many people as possible attend this meeting.  This might just be the most important thing you can do.  If we can fill that chamber, it WILL influence their vote.  The meeting will take place at the Education Centre at 7 pm.

Hello residents of Ward 1

I would like to hear from you

An elementary Area Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) has been meeting since April 2011 looking at accommodation issues at Dalewood, Prince Philip, and George R. Allan schools. The Committee submitted a report to the Board in January 2012 with its recommendations, and Staff has submitted a report as well. A public meeting to hear delegations’ views about the recommendations will be held on the evening of March 20, and the Board of Trustees will start to make decisions about the recommendations on April 16th at the Committee of the Whole.

The Dalewood ARC recommendations are to keep Prince Philip, Dalewood and George R. Allan schools open. The Staff report is to close Prince Philip and consolidate that school with George R Allan, adding a further gym, and three new classrooms. The new classrooms will be needed in part because classroom space will be lost in adding a proposed new elevator.  Both reports recommend also adding new purpose-built kindergarten classrooms needed for the new all-day kindergarten programs, for which Provincial funding exists. The Staff recommendations include an elevator for Dalewood, and some further upgrades to both Dalewood and George R. Allan, and the business plan includes using the proceeds from the sale of Prince Philip’s land to offset some of the costs.  The closure of Prince Philip would also allow the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) eliminate $3.2 million in deferred maintenance. The Dalewood ARC also recommended some upgrades to Dalewood and George R. Allan schools. The full reports can be found at http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/arcelementary/?page_id=663 andhttp://www.hwdsb.on.ca/arcelementary/?page_id=647

I am asking for your feed-back for the following reasons:

• HWDSB is underfunded for capital improvements, in 2010 -11 it received $1 for every $18 that is needed.
• This means that HWDSB is trying to reduce its building stock so that the remaining buildings can be properly maintained (now also being promoted by the Drummond report).
• For the last seven years I have heard concerns from George R. Allan parents about the state of the school building including:

1. The present washrooms need to be upgraded
2. Although it is a three- floor school with a basement, washrooms are only on the first floor: they need to be on other floors too so there is greater washroom accessibility
3. There is no elevator and students with mobility issues have to move to other schools.
4. Prince Philip and Dalewood have not had any substantial work done on the schools for about ten years. Dalewood has had blocked -off windows in the gym for even longer.

If the Staff recommendation is approved by Trustees

• Upgrades will be made to George R.Allan so as to accommodate the Prince Philip children.  These would be :
• An additional  full-sized gym
• a washroom on the second floor  
• four new purpose-built kindergarten rooms (instead of the two G.R.Allan alone requires)—these are larger than regular classrooms and have sinks and washrooms paid for with one- time Provincial money for this purpose
• an accessible washroom
• an improved staff room
• three new classrooms
• an elevator
• Other upgrades to George R. Allan and Dalewood will be made over time, including an elevator and an accessible washroom at Dalewood, as HWDSB will no longer be operating or having to consider long term repair costs at Prince Philip.

If the status quo is maintained and all schools remain open:

It is unlikely there will be any upgrades to the three schools until there is another ARC process, for the following reasons:

• Funding any upgrades will be an issue:
• no funds from the sale of land  
• only a weak case to apply to the Province for any additional capital funds
• no savings from operating only two schools instead of three.
• Schools placed for accommodation review, where no decision is made to close, historically do not afterwards receive a high priority for any upgrades.
• HWDSB is unwilling to invest in schools where there is a possibility that they may not be open in the next 10 years, as it does not have enough maintenance funds to go around.
• Small schools are vulnerable to closure, as they are more expensive to administer; HWDSB has closed eight small schools since 1998. Prince Philip’s current enrolment hovers around 200.

Another ARC process could not take place for a minimum of five years but would probably be longer, as ARC processes entail a great deal of staff time, and there are other district priorities. If Prince Philip is closed through a new ARC process, the opportunity will have been lost for one-time funding for two more purpose-built kindergartens at G.R.Allan to house the Prince Philip kindergarten children.

Should schools be upgraded, even if one school will have to close in the process?

Or

Is it more important to keep all schools open for the sake of the community, even if they are not in a good state of repair, and do not provide all the facilities needed for modern learning?

Please let me know your thoughts.

 Thanks

Judith Bishop 

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board staff have proposed the closure of Prince Philip School and busing of its students to George R. Allan School.  The volunteer ARC committee has proposed keeping Prince Philip, George R. Allan, and Dalewood intact.  On April 16 the Board of Trustees will vote on their preferred proposal.  We need your voice to keep all three schools in our community!

How can you help?

• Attend the We Need 3 Community Night 4 – 7 pm Wednesday, March 7 at the Churchill Park lawn bowling clubhouse on Cline Ave. N. in Westdale.  It will be a fun evening of fellowship, featuring speakers, open mic, music, and of course food!
• ‘Like’ us on facebook at We Need Three – Campaign to Save Prince Philip School, or go to our website at weneed3.com
•  We have two petitions, one for Prince Philip (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-prince-philip-elementary-school-open-in-ainslie-wo.html), and one for GR Allan (http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/westdale-residents-for-local-schools-and-healthy-kids.html).  Sign one or both!
  
• Write or call the trustees and ask them to support the ARC’s proposal to keep Prince Philip open.  Contact info can be found on our website, facebook page, or go tohttp://www.hwdsb.on.ca/aboutus/trustees/.
• Attend the Board of Trustees Special Hearing Tuesday, March 20 at 6 pm at the Education Centre, 100 Main St. W.  If you wish to speak, you must pre-register by contacting Heather Miller at heather.miller@hwdsb.on.ca or 905-527-5092 ext. 2279 by March 19.  Childcare will be provided.
• If you live or work on a high traffic street, request one of our lawn signs by contacting Mary Louise Pigott at mlpigott@cogeco.ca, or Eric Bumbaca at ebumbaca@primus.ca.
  

 For more information, contact Kristen West at kristen@leafelectric.ca, or Mary Louise Pigott at mlpigott@cogeco.ca.