TDSB votes on closing schools

School board deciding fate of eight sites
If eight schools closed,  would save $60 mil
Kris Scheuer
(Written June 23 for Town Crier.  June 24 UPDATE.)

TDSB to vote on closing sites to get revenue to reinvest in schools across Toronto. Town Crier file photo.

The school board has some vital votes tonight on whether to keep eight public schools open.
Board staff and a local Accommodation Review Committee recommend Arlington close by September 2011 and J.R Wilcox, Cedarvale, Humewood and Rawlington all expand to grade eight to accommodate area students.
Briar Hill school
Another local ARC recommended closing Briar Hill PS and moving students to nearby school sites. A minority report by some committee members recommended putting a new JK to 3 school at the site, which could be redeveloped with a residential building.
That was supposed to come to the school board June 23, but instead a decision’s been postponed to allow time to explore the options.
No decision have been made yet regarding selling the site, redevelopment or closing the school, but staff has been asked to look at how much it would cost to build a new Briar Hill school on-site if the lot was redeveloped.

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Shelley Laskin trustee candidate

Laskin in most heated trustee race in Toronto
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier June 3.)

Photo courtesy of Shelley Laskin.

Former St. Paul’s school trustee Shelley Laskin wants her old job back.
Laskin, who represented the riding from 1997 to 2003, is a candidate in the hotly contested St. Paul’s trustee race.
With incumbent Josh Matlow taking a stab at a council seat, the trustee seat is wide open. Laskin is one of five vying for the spot so far.
“I think it’s an advantage that I’m an experienced trustee,” she said. “The fact I remained involved as a parent and community volunteer allows me the context and perspective.”
She’s served as school council chair at both Hodgson Senior PS and Northern SS and was a three-year representative in trustee Matlow’s ward forum.
“I’m still a known entity through my involvement in schools,” Laskin said.

Davisville PS won’t close

School board staff recommend keeping five local sites open
Davisville, Eglinton, Hodgson, Maurice Cody, Spectrum should stay alive
Trustees make final decision June 23
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier May 27.)

Davisville PS was never in real danger of closing.

While other communities struggle with the prospect of school closures, parents in Davisville and Leaside can expect to see expanded programming.
School board staff has agreed with all the recommendations put forth by the Davisville school review committee.
The review focused on how best to accommodate students at Davisville/Metropolitan Toronto School for the Deaf, Eglinton, Hodgson and Maurice Cody public schools and Spectrum Alternative School without losing services.
“We came out of this with some real goodies,” said school trustee Josh Matlow.

Briar Hill school could close

North Toronto elementary school’s enrollment declining
Parents vow to defeat closure recommendation
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 22.)

Briar Hill parent Carmen Moscarello and son Matthew fighting to keep school open. Photo by Karolyn Coorsh/Town Crier.

Briar Hill parent Carmen Moscarello isn’t ready to say goodbye to her child’s elementary school.
But if a report on the future of three schools in the Dufferin and Eglinton area is adopted by the Toronto school board in June, she may have to.
An Accommodation Review Committee report is recommending closing Briar Hill, expanding nearby Fairbank Middle School from JK to grade 8, and keeping West Prep Junior School as JK to grade 6.
Briar Hill is facing closure because of declining enrollment at the JK to grade 5 school. The 1927-built facility has a capacity for 265 students but only about 147 kids are enrolled there.
An attached minority report by committee members and Briar Hill parents Julie McFayden and Paul Dover doesn’t support closing the school.
Board staff will make its own recommendations and the issue will go for a board vote at the end of June, but in the meantime, parents like Moscarello are fuming at the mere suggestion of closure.

Davisville school staying open

ARC members recommend 5 schools stay open
Plus Maurice Cody expands, if school board agrees
By Kris Scheuer
(Written March 5 for Town Crier)

There will be no school closures and one local site will even be expanded if the Davisville-Yonge Accommodation Review Committee gets its way.
For months, the committee members have been considering 12 options on how best to accommodate students at four school sites: Davisville, Hodgson, Maurice Cody and Eglinton Public School/Spectrum Alternative Senior School.
The group has now chosen one option with six key recommendations to the Toronto District School Board:
• All four school sites to stay open.
• No change in boundaries to who can be accommodated at a school.
• Spectrum’s grade 7 and 8 mix will not include other grades.
• Maurice Cody will be expanded.
• No programs will be lost at any of the schools.
• Davisville and at Eglinton schools will maintain English and not move to
French only.

Davisville redevelopment and ARC

TDSB examines how best to accommodate students
And redevelopment possibilities discussed at school site
By Kris Scheuer
(Written Jan. 13 for Town Crier. UPDATE here.)

The possibility of redeveloping Davisville Junior Public School has drawn the ire of councillor Michael Walker who says the 48-year-old education facility should be left as is.
The Toronto District School Board is forming a local community design team in the coming months to look at redevelopment for the land just east of Yonge Street.
“I find it offensive Davisville is looked upon as (a financial) asset,” says Walker. “It’s a school first.”
According to school trustee Josh Matlow, the possibility of closing the school and redeveloping the land is one of many options being passed around at this point. Closure of the school is unlikely, he says, and redevleopment is not a certainty.
“We have met with parents and ratepayers. They have been told directly redevelopment won’t happen without their consent,” says Matlow, who is running for a council seat in St. Paul’s, ward 22.

Davisville school redevelopment process promise

By Kris Scheuer
(See Jan. 13 UPDATE.)
I wrote a detailed story on the possible redevelopment and Accommodation Review Committee process at Davisville Public School Dec. 23.
I am working on an update that will be printed in the Town Crier newspaper on Tues. Jan 13 including some new interviews and re-interviews with key players TDSB’s Sheila Penny, trustee Josh Matlow and councillor Michael Walker.
So I have removed my original story until I write my update and it is edited.
Want the update? Click here for the story.