Recommendations: Accommodation of students at Wembley Public School

The Accommodation Review Committee report for Wembley Public School and the report of the Rainbow District School Board’s Administrative Council were presented to the Board of Trustees during the regular meeting on Monday, September 22, 2008.

Rainbow District School Board’s Administrative Council has endorsed the findings of the Accommodation Review Committee and presented the following recommendations to the Board – that Princess Anne Public School be revitalized, using green technology wherever possible, to accommodate JK to Grade 8 students from Wembley Public School and students from Wembley’s three Intensive Support Programs and that Wembley Public School be closed.

The Accommodation Review Committee, which includes parents/guardians from the School Council as well as municipal and community representatives, delivered its report to the Board’s Administrative Council at the beginning of September. The Committee’s report is available on the Board’s website. The Administrative Council report has also been posted on rainbowschools.ca. Click here to access the reports.

In delivering the recommendations of the Administrative Council, Director of Education Jean Hanson thanked the Accommodation Review Committee for Wembley Public School. “We appreciate the time that each member has devoted to this important process,” said Director Hanson. “The Administrative Council also thanks members of the public who have provided input and continue to do so.”

The mandate of the Administrative Council in relation to Board accommodation is to make recommendations, which will maximize student learning within the resources available to the Board, in keeping with the following guiding principles: to ensure that all students continue to have access to the best programming possible in quality school facilities, to reduce surplus space, and to ensure the sustainability of existing programs and services for all students of the Board.

“The revitalization of Princess Anne Public School presents opportunities to enhance the use of the property, expand the building, and incorporate green technology into a sustainable school for the future,” said Director Hanson. “This will improve the learning environment for students and staff and produce long-term cost savings for the Board.”
In recommending the revitalization of Princess Anne Public School, using new green technology, Administrative Council has considered present and future operating costs.

“The plan to revitalize Princess Anne Public School addresses the primary class size pressures at Princess Anne Public School, with funding already received from the province, accommodates all students from Wembley Public School, and addresses the capital needs at Princess Anne, using green technology wherever possible,” said Director Hanson.

If the Board approves the recommendations, Administrative Council will apply to the Ministry of Education for funds to proceed with the revitalization project. “It is clearly our goal to obtain as much funding as possible from the Ministry of Education and invest those dollars in sustainable solutions that provide the best learning opportunities possible for our students,” said Director Hanson. She added: “As the revitalization of Princess Anne Public School unfolds, Administrative Council will seek further input from the Princess Anne Public School community.”

Rainbow District School Board will hear public input related to the Accommodation Review for Wembley Public School at its regular meeting on Monday, October 20, 2008 at 6:30 pm. The meeting will take place in the Council Chambers at Tom Davies Square.

Public presentations must be made in accordance with Board by-laws available on the Board’s website.

For those unable to attend the meeting, written input will be accepted.
Please send written submissions, clearly identifying the accommodation area as Wembley Public School, to:
Rainbow District School Board
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning
Centre for Education, 408 Wembley Drive
Sudbury ON P3E 1P2
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 705.674-8651

A final decision regarding the accommodation of students at Wembley Public School will be made at the Board meeting on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm. This meeting will take place in the Council Chambers at Tom Davies Square.

Please note:
Any changes that may be approved would take effect in September 2009 at the earliest.

For more information about the Accommodation Review, log on to rainbowschools.ca and click on accommodation under "highlights".

Here’s how to make a public presentation at a Board meeting

Delegations

Rainbow District School Board welcomes delegations to the Board in accordance with section 4.14 of the Board’s Governance By-Laws:

4.14.01    A person or delegation wishing to appear before or present a brief to the Board or a Committee shall apply in writing.  The application shall state the matter on which the submission is to be made, the organization or interested parties to be represented, and the authority of the spokesperson. Not more than two persons may be designated spokespersons.
 
4.14.02        A copy of the brief must be provided to the Secretary of the Board at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting. This rule may be suspended by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting at which the person or delegation wishes to be heard, if in the opinion of the Chairperson and the Director, an extreme time constraint is involved.

4.14.03        For valid reasons, any persons or delegations may be denied the right to appear before the Board by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Board present at a duly constituted meeting.

4.14.04        The presenter is reminded that the written brief has been included as back-up material in the agenda for the meeting.  Therefore, trustees will have read the brief. The presenters of the brief may speak to the trustees for approximately 10 minutes in order to summarize the pertinent points in the brief and to outline the solution/action, which is requested.  They should then be prepared to receive questions for clarification from the trustees.

4.14.05        The Board’s response, when requested, will be made through the Secretary in writing at a later date, after the trustees have had the opportunity to discuss the matter and arrive at a decision.

For more information, please email [email protected] or phone 705.674.3171, ext.  7254.

-30-

Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217.