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Vimy School Public Meeting

Vimy School Public Meeting. February 12, 2008. Purpose of the Public Meeting. To discuss the possible school closure of Vimy School The following motion was passed by the Board of Trustees of PHRD:

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Vimy School Public Meeting

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  1. Vimy School Public Meeting February 12, 2008

  2. Purpose of the Public Meeting • To discuss the possible school closure of Vimy School • The following motion was passed by the Board of Trustees of PHRD: • Moved by Trustee Webster that the Board of Trustees commence the process to consider school closure; and specifically that the Board of Trustees hereby serves notice that a Motion to close the Vimy School, which is located in the Hamlet of Vimy, in the County of Westlock, will be debated and voted upon at the Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees scheduled for March 19, 2008

  3. Agenda • Welcome and Introductions – Clayton Jespersen, Board Chairman • Superintendent’s Presentation – Richard Harvey, Superintendent of Schools • Parent and Community Presentations • To ensure PHRD has a complete and accurate record of the presentations, please provide a copy to PHRD • Question period

  4. Admin. Procedure 70-2 - Criteria for School Closure • PHRD Administrative Procedure 70-2 states that an entire school, or 3 or more consecutive grades in a school, may be considered for closure if 1 of 6 criteria are met • Vimy School qualifies for consideration to close under the following criteria: • Criteria 2.1 – 5 yr. enrolment projections & previous trends indicate the probability that future enrolment numbers in the school may not allow for programming which is effective and efficient in the judgment of the Superintendent • Enrolment as of Sept 30/07 – 33 students (Kindergarten-5; Grades 1-6-28) • Enrolment projections for the following 5 years:

  5. Admin. Procedure 70-2 - Criteria for School Closure (cont.) • In Dec/07 the Vimy School Council was provided with Statement of Intent to Enroll forms for 2008/09 (Kindergarten – grade 6) and 2009/10 (Kindergarten) • As of Jan. 11/08 the Superintendent’s Office has received the following: • 2008/09 - 3 Kindergarten (projecting 5) and 27 grades 1-6 students (projecting 28). Total 30 students (projecting 33) • 2009/10 – 8 Kindergarten (projecting 9). Total 36 students (projecting 40) • In my judgment, the low student enrolment projections for Vimy School would not allow for programming that is effective and efficient in the years to come

  6. Admin. Procedure 70-2 - Criteria for School Closure (cont.) • Criteria 2.2 The facility space utilization rate as defined by the provincial government as of September 30 in the current school year is less than 50% and enrolment projections indicate no marked improvement in utilization rate for the next 3 yrs • 2007/08 utilization rate for Vimy School is 22.55% • Criteria 2.3 The continued operation of the school poses a health or safety threat to students, staff or public • Vimy School currently does not pose a health or safety threat to students, staff or public

  7. Admin. Procedure 70-2 - Criteria for School Closure (cont.) • Criteria 2.4 Less than 60% of eligible students in a school’s attendance area attend the school in their attendance area • In 2007/08 approximately 46% of the eligible students in the Vimy attendance area attend Vimy School • Criteria 2.5 The continued operation of the school will create excessive costs to the School Division • If Vimy School were to remain open 45 full time equivalent students would be required for the school to remain financially viable under its existing structure

  8. Admin. Procedure 70-2 - Criteria for School Closure (cont.) • Criteria 2.6 Total student enrolment in 3 or more grades falls below numbers considered viable from a financial operations and program delivery perspective

  9. How the closure will affect the attendance area defined for Vimy • If the motion to close the Vimy School is passed by the Board of Trustees, Administration will recommend to the Board that the students residing in the Vimy attendance area be directed to the Eleanor Hall School in the Clyde attendance area

  10. How the closure will affect the attendance area at other schools • Students in grades 7-9 who are residents of the Vimy attendance area are currently directed to the Eleanor Hall School in Clyde • Students in grades 10-12 who are residents of the Vimy attendance area are currently directed to R.F. Staples Secondary School in Westlock

  11. How the closure will affect the attendance area at other schools (cont.) • Eleanor Hall School’s utilization for 2007/08 is 100% • However, the new school at Clyde follows the new provincial design such that 3 modular classrooms can be added to the core school, increasing capacity by 75 students, for a total of 300 students • Alta. Education has committed to having the 3 modular classrooms delivered and operational for the beginning of the 2008/09 school year

  12. How the closure will affect the attendance area at other schools (cont.) • Projected enrolment for Vimy School in 2008/09 is 33 students • Assuming Eleanor Hall School retains an enrolment similar to that of 2007/08 (approx. 213 students), if the students in the Vimy attendance area were directed to Eleanor Hall School, the School would have sufficient space, given the 3 additional modular classrooms

  13. The number of students who will need to be relocated as a result of the closure

  14. Information on the Board’s Long Range Capital Plan • Excerpt from the Long Range Capital Plan • In accordance with PHRD Policy 903 (subsequently re-named to Admin. Procedure 70-2), the Board of Trustees will monitor the remaining division schools (includes Vimy School) on a yearly basis in terms of facility health and enrolment levels • Policy 903 (subsequently re-named to Admin. Procedure 70-2), provides guidance when it comes to decisions about keeping schools open. Under this policy, individual schools could operate for years, as long as enrolments are high enough to keep the school financially viable and the school building does not require major repairs

  15. Information on the Board’s Long Range Capital Plan (cont.) • The Long Range Capital Plan was first adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 15, 2006 • Since that time components of the building continue to deteriorate, even though the Maintenance Dept. has continued with repairs • If Vimy School were to remain open the following capital projects would need to be undertaken:

  16. Vimy School Capital Projects Required if School Remains Open • Priority 1 – Replacement of mechanical system • At present, part of the school is heated with a furnace system and the remainder with a 1961 boiler with no ventilation & no back up boiler system • Priority 2 – The building’s roof had a temporary membrane installed 4 years ago but still needs to be replaced with a proper membrane complete with R-20 insulation and flashings

  17. Vimy School Capital Projects Required if School Remains Open • Priority 3 – The building is not handicap accessible. Given the building size and design, 3 lifts should be installed. Also, the washrooms need upgrading. The exterior of the building shows signs of deterioration with horizontal cracking and bowing of the wall system due to a moisture problem occurring through the original stucco and rotting windows • Priority 4 – The electrical service, fire alarm system, circuit panels are all in need of replacement • Costs for the 4 priority areas are not included in the financial analysis

  18. The need for, and extent of, bussing • Currently 3 buses serve the Vimy School attendance area and 7 buses serve the Eleanor Hall (total 10 bus routes) • If Vimy School was closed the 10 routes would be retained but re-designed to transport students as efficiently as possible • All students will be transported to Clyde first • Students attending school in Westlock will be transferred at Eleanor Hall School in Clyde

  19. Projected impact on bussing • Students currently attending Vimy School and residing in the central part of the attendance area (around the Hamlet of Vimy) will experience an average increase in ride times of 5-10 minutes due to the 11km distance between Vimy and Clyde • Students currently attending Westlock schools and residing in this area will experience, on average, the same ride times, or in some instances an increase in ride times of 5 minutes

  20. Projected impact on bussing • Students currently attending Vimy School and residing in the western portion of the attendance area will experience, on average, the same ride times or in some instances a decrease in ride times of 5 minutes • Students currently attending Westlock schools and residing in this area will experience a decrease in average ride times of 5 minutes

  21. Projected impact on bussing • Students currently attending Vimy School and residing in the eastern portion of the attendance area will experience, on average, the same ride time or in some instances an increase in ride times of 5 minutes • Students currently attending Westlock schools and residing in this area will experience, on average, the same ride time or in some instances a decrease in ride times of 5 minutes • Students residing in the southern portion of the Eleanor Hall attendance area will experience, on average, a decrease in ride times of 10 minutes • No ride time will exceed the Board guidelines of one (1) hour

  22. Program Implications • From the perspective of instructional delivery and programming, the recommendation to move the students from Vimy School to the Eleanor Hall School in Clyde would have negligible negative impact on Eleanor Hall School and has the potential for a positive effect on the Eleanor Hall School • Eleanor Hall School has the program capacity to receive the Vimy School students • Remaining status quo in the Vimy School poses certain concerns about effective program delivery that cannot be ignored

  23. Program Implications (cont.) • Grade 7-9 students are currently directed to Eleanor Hall School • If the K-6 students from the Vimy attendance area attended Eleanor Hall School there would be one less transition for these students during their K-12 careers • In addition, students are more likely to have siblings in the same school • Class sizes at Eleanor Hall School will remain within Alberta Education guidelines and/or Pembina Hills’ Target Ranges

  24. Program Implications (cont.) • If Vimy School were to remain open, effectiveness of the program needs to be considered • Programming for the students would continue to be available through a variety of unique alternatives • Because of the small population and wide distribution of grade levels, there would certainly be multi-grade classrooms, quite likely having students from 3 or more grades • While this is a condition that was necessitated in many historical situations because of geography and transportation limitations, it is less desirable when other viable alternatives are available

  25. The educational and financial impact of closing Vimy School • Currently there are 33 students in K-6 at Vimy School • Instruction is being delivered in a multi-grade, multi-divisional setting with 3 teachers, one of which is the school principal. There is also a program assistant, librarian and administrative assistant at the school • The decision to close Vimy School will not negatively impact the K-6 programs at Eleanor Hall School • Eleanor Hall School was designed such that 3 modular classrooms could be added to the core school • If Vimy School was closed, 2 or 3 modular classrooms would be required, leaving one classroom for additional instructional groups should enrolment increase beyond projections

  26. The educational and financial impact of closing Vimy School (cont.) • The closure of Vimy School would result in a financial gain in operational costs • Pembina Hills would not incur a minimum deficit of $42,056 in instruction and $38,515 in Plant Operations & Maintenance (total $80,571) • Considering the projected 07/08 deficit of $67,708 and Vimy School’s accumulated debt at Sept 1/07 of $15,348, the School’s projected accumulated debt at Aug 31/09 is $163,627 ($15,348 + $67,708 + $80,571)

  27. The educational and financial impact of closing Vimy School (cont.) • In terms of transportation, if Vimy School were closed, Pembina Hills would receive additional transportation funding of approx. $40,850 based on the current provincial funding formula • The additional funding would be used to offset the additional costs of transporting the students (estimated at $1,500), leaving a net gain of $39,350 • Capital implications: Closing Vimy School will mean that the projects identified earlier in the presentation will not need to be undertaken, and as a result a greater deficit in the area of building capital will be avoided

  28. The educational and financial impact if the school were to remain open • If Vimy School were to remain open the following would need to occur, at a minimum: • current grade combinations would need to be increased beyond 3 grades per classroom • teaching staff reduced by one • school would need to be administered from a neighboring school • This would not offset the accumulated deficit of Vimy School nor address the capital needs of the building

  29. The educational and financial impact if the school were to remain open (cont.) • As Superintendent of Schools, I would not recommend grade combinations of more than 3 grades per classroom, given the numbers of students and challenges it would offer both the students and teacher • The combined grades would have to cover the core curriculum in all grades • While combined classes of 2-3 grades can be managed, there is no grade combination of greater than 3 grades in our Division • There is a viable alternative for students within a reasonable distance of Vimy School

  30. The capital needs of the schools that may have increased enrolment as a result of the closure • As noted earlier, 3 modular classrooms would be required for Eleanor Hall School in Clyde in order to accommodate the students from Vimy School • Alberta Education has committed that the 3 modular classrooms would be available and operational for the beginning of the 2008/09 school year, should they be required • No other capital expenditure would be required for the Eleanor Hall School in Clyde

  31. The possible uses of the school building if the school was closed • If the Vimy School is closed, Administration recommends that the Board of Trustees enter into discussions with the community to determine the best possible use for the building

  32. Additional Meeting February 20, 2008 • An additional opportunity for individuals or groups to make presentations directly to the Board of Trustees regarding the proposed closure will take place on February 20, 2008 at the Pembina Hills Division Office beginning at 7:00 p.m. These presentations will be by appointment only. • If you would like an appointment, please phone Joyce Fott at (780)674-8513 • If there are no appointments, the meeting will not take place

  33. March 19, 2008 Regular Board Meeting • The Board will debate and vote upon the possible closure of the Vimy School at their March 19, 2008 Regular Meeting • The debate will be scheduled on the agenda for 1:00 p.m.

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