Comment 73766

By Mahesh_P_Butani (registered) - website | Posted February 07, 2012 at 01:42:50 in reply to Comment 73736

This may help understand school closures. Hamilton is not an exception in what is happening across the province and the country:

School Closings in Ontario. People for Education’s report on accommodation reviews and school closings 2009"

"School closings are on the rise in communities across Ontario. Not since the 1990’s have so many schools been under review or slated for closing."

  • Between 2009 and 2012, 172 schools are closing or recommended to close.

  • A further 163 schools are undergoing Accommodation Reviews for possible closure.

  • Boards will instigate more Accommodation Reviews in the new year.

  • Ontario will have 140,000 fewer students in 2012 than it had in 2002

"Declining enrollment is a phenomena across the country, the result of a decline in the birth rate. Even Canada’s substantial immigration rate does not offset the general aging of our population; proportionally, we have more seniors and fewer young people."

"The funding formula is driving boards to establish larger schools in order to provide appropriate breadth of program. Some boards have, for example, set targets for school sizes of 450 students for elementary schools, and 1200 for secondary schools. These numbers are based primarily on ensuring there are sufficient students in each school to generate funding for a range of staff. In this way boards ensure that schools are “viable.” But these targets for school sizes are often based more on funding than on research. ... Research also shows that students in disadvantaged communities are significantly more successful in both smaller elementary and secondary schools. The optimal size appears to be under 400 students in elementary schools and between 600 and 900 in secondary."

"ONTARIO COMMUNITY HUB PROGRAMS: Ontario does not have a cohesive community school or community hub policy. The province’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, the provincial report on the Roots of Youth Violence, the Ministry of Education’s Report from the Declining Enrolment Working Group and the recent report from the Premier’s Advisor on Early Learning, all call for the establishment of schools as community hubs, but there is no overarching policy or funding to ensure this happens."

Board Totals

Hamilton-Wentworth DSB: (2002/03: 55,076) (2009/10: 48,654) (-11.66%)

Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic DSB: (2002/03: 28,449) (2009/10: 27,458) (-3.48%)

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