The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) won’t need to implementing facility partnerships to fill up under-utilized school buildings, a recent review indicates.
A report on the review was presented at the Oct. 28 board of meeting.
As required by board policy on facility partnerships, trustees review the utilization of school space annually in elementary and secondary schools reports. Schools that demonstrate over a two-year period that they have more than 200 unused student spaces, or less than 60 per cent occupancy, are eligible for sharing with community partners.
Only Grand Valley and District Elementary School met the criteria. However, new residential development in the Grand Valley area is progressing, and “as such it is not considered prudent to pursue any partnerships at this time,” states a board press release.
Norwell District Secondary School in Palmerston is the only secondary school with a significant number of unused spaces – more than 200. However, the school has not been under 60% occupancy, and so it is not being considered for partnership space, the board states.
Regarding “co-build” opportunities, a new elementary school is planned for east Guelph. However, the four-acre site is slightly smaller than most new schools, and the timing for design and construction precludes any co-build opportunities.
The board’s partnership list will be notified that no space is available for this year, and the information will also be posted on the board’s website.
Trustee pay dropping
From Dec. 1, 2014 to Nov. 31, 2015, UGDSB trustee honoraria will be set at:
– chair, $17,865 (down $54 from the previous year);
– vice chair, $14,591 (down $448 from previous year); and
– other trustees: $11,317 (down $42 from previous year).
The honoraria are set by base amounts plus an enrolment amount based on the average daily enrolment from the budget for the previous year.
