The Wellington North accommodation review committee presented its final draft report to the public for comment on Oct. 29 at Kenilworth Public School (KPS).
The committee has recommended the school remain open and be maintained to the same standard as every other school in the Upper Grand District School Board.
“KPS plays an integral role in the community of Kenilworth. The small school environment is well suited to the needs of the Kenilworth rural environment … [and] eases the potential stress on an already busy school system,” the report states. “All three elementary schools in the township are operating at or above capacity. To close KPS would be short-sighted.”
While compiling the report, the committee considered a number of factors both for and against a school closure.
Contrary to previous media reports indicating otherwise, UGDSB superintendent of education Brent McDonald said declining enrolment was not a factor in the decision to proceed with an accommodation review.
“Capacity is not the issue or the trigger in Wellington North. It is outstanding capital work, previous board decisions and other small school issues,” he told the audience. “All of the classrooms here at Kenilworth are in full use.”
The capital work in question, including an upgraded heating system, will cost the board approximately $650,000 – in addition to $250,000 to implement a full-day kindergarten program.
Over the past few months, committee members came up with three possible options for the school:
– the first is to maintain the status quo and have Kenilworth remain open with outstanding renovations completed and full-day kindergarten introduced; and
– options two and three recommend KPS be closed and students reassigned to Arthur Public or Victoria Cross in Mount Forest with boundaries of Sideroad 5 or 3 respectively.
Accommodation review committee members Mollie Loughran and Sonya McNabb outlined the rationale for keeping the school open, based on board requirements.
In terms of enrolment, Loughran said schools in Wellington North have the highest rate of utilization across the UGDSB, with an average of 96 per cent and all three above 80%. In the next 10 years those numbers are projected to reach 88 to 111%.
“The board likes to have K to 6 schools with 300 to 500 students and avoid schools with less than 300,” Loughran said. “We are less than 300, but on the whole, 25% of all elementary schools – whether K to 6 or K to 8 – in the UGDSB are less than 300, so I wonder how valid that criteria is.”
Although the cost of necessary renovations to the facility seems high, Loughran said it is not “extraordinary” and is comparable to what has been spent at other small schools in the area.
“The community deserves an opportunity to send their children to school confident that it won’t be closed in the foreseeable future and it will be fully maintained,” the report states.
Another problem facing the school is its lack of a full-time principal and support staff – as mandated by the board. However, the committee noted that of the eight elementary schools in Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North, only four meet this requirement.
Kenilworth also lacks specialized staff and has a number of split-grade classes.
“We do not have a dedicated music or phys. ed. teacher or a resource teacher,” Loughran said. “And more intensive special education needs have to be accommodated at Arthur Public or Victoria Cross.”
She said despite this, students’ opportunities are not limited.
“We play, sing and do Sports. We have never had to cut our teams, but we do have some limitations if teachers don’t volunteer or have talents to share,” she said. “But every student has the opportunity to be involved if they choose.”
The board also prefers the kindergarten to Grade 8 model over K to 6 facilities, but the building is not large enough to accommodate additional grades. It also currently is not an accessible school, but Loughran said the full-day kindergarten funding will help make those improvements possible.
“If KPS gets to stay open and renewal work is done, our school will be made better in light of shortcomings now,” she said.
Kenilworth also does not meet the configurations to provide collaborative teacher planning, but the committee says the teachers regularly work with each other throughout the school.
“We do not have common grade partners, but the teachers work together – not just in their own grades and departments,” she said. The committee also suggested the use of technology to combat this issue and networking through social media to connect with educators across the board.
“All teachers can communicate regularly, whether it’s in Wellington North or other schools in the area,” she said. “They can use technology to bounce ideas off each other.”
The committee stated maintaining all three schools will support growth in Mount Forest and Arthur and prevent loss of students to educational facilities outside the UGDSB if Kenilworth were to close. That would also mean the loss of a local employer.
They said the school is a hub in the community and the large grounds provide a close-knit, family atmosphere that would be lost if students were relocated.
“We have a big tradition and history here – there’s lots of three generation families so it’s hard to take that away from people,” she said. “We build close bonds at this school because there is less people to get to know.”
Public feedback on the committee report will be accepted until Nov. 9 at www.ugdsb.on.ca/wnar. The final report will be submitted to the director of education on Nov. 28 and a decision made by the board on Feb. 24.
