Feasibility study recommends Grade 7 and 8 for Sir Isaac Brock P.S.
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 7, 2013
GUELPH, Ontario — The final report of the Sir Isaac Brock PS Grades 7 & 8 Feasibility Study has recommended that the program at Sir Isaac Brock PS be expanded from JK-6 to JK-8 effective September 2015.
The report was published online in advance of its presentation to trustees at a meeting of the Business Operations Committee on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. It is available at:
www.ugdsb.ca/sibfs
If ratified by trustees at the board meeting on June 25, the addition of Grade 7 and 8 to the south-east Guelph school will resolve an issue that dates back to the Westminster Woods Boundary Review in 2008, which made the same recommendation to bring Grade 7 and 8 to Sir Isaac Brock by 2015. Sir Isaac Brock 7/8 students are currently bused to Rickson Ridge PS.
A further recommendation to grandfather Grade 8 students at Rickson Ridge PS for the 2015-2016 school year would mean that Sir Isaac Brock PS would only offer JK-7 that year, and grow to JK-8 the following year.
The forecasted 7/8 enrolment for both schools in 2015 is 201 students, with 114 from the Sir Isaac Brock PS attendance area, and 87 from Rickson Ridge’s boundary.
The feasibility study report includes public input, looks at enrolment forecasts, facility utilization and resources, and examines school operation and performance.
Although Sir Isaac Brock PS opened as a JK-6 school in 2003, the building was originally constructed to accommodate a JK-8 student population. The gym is suitably sized for older students, with change rooms. The installation of mini-lockers and retrofitting of a tech room in the summer of 2015 would cost $25 to $32 thousand.
The costs in setting up Sir Isaac Brock PS for Grades 7 and 8 are offset by an estimated savings of $70,000 per year in transportation costs. Sir Isaac Brock students are currently bused to Rickson Ridge PS for Grades 7 and 8, but the new program will put most of those students within a 2.4 kilometre walking distance.
The two-month study attracted a lot of attention from parents, with 72 individuals making 92 submissions through an online feedback form, and 79 people coming out to a public information session on May 2. To date there have been 11 delegations to trustees at committee and board meetings, with more on the agenda for June 11.
Many parents in the Sir Isaac Brock neighbourhood have expressed strong support for expanding the school’s program to include Grades 7 and 8, but there has also been significant support for maintaining the status quo of Sir Isaac Brock students attending Rickson Ridge PS for Grades 7 and 8.
Parents in favour of maintaining the status quo have argued that the rotary program at Rickson Ridge PS has academic benefits that would be lost or diminished with enrolment split between the two schools. Rotary programming in Grades 7 and 8 involves students moving as a group from class-to-class for instruction from specialist teachers.
A section of the report titled “Indicators of Success” compares the academic achievements of Grade 9 and 10 students, concluding that “that intermediate division size is not a major factor of success in secondary school.”
Facility utilization was another factor used in coming up with the recommendation to implement a Grade 7 and 8 program at Sir Isaac Brock PS. Under the status quo, Rickson Ridge would become overcrowded by 2015 (110% overcapacity) while Sir Isaac Brock would trend downward to become underutilized (less than 80%). Improving the utilization of Sir Isaac Brock PS will reduce the need for portables at Rickson Ridge and allow the school to accommodate projected growth from inside its boundary.
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For more information:
Maggie McFadzen, Communications Officer
519-822-4420 ext. 725
[email protected]
Mark Weidmark, Administrative Officer – Communications
519-822-4420 ext. 544
[email protected]
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