School closure moratorium committee to report back by early 2012
By Maxwell Rausch
EDMONTON – After freezing school closures last year, the Edmonton Public School Board’s school closure moratorium committee is gearing up to write its final recommendations.
The committee, comprised of Edmonton Public trustees, held a series of public meetings from April to October discussing ways to support existing schools without closing them.
The School Closure Moratorium Committee held public meetings from April to October to disuss issues such as overcrowding that are placing an unnecessary burden on Edmonton Public Schools. The Committee hopes to report its conclusions by early 2012. Photograph by Maxwell Rausch.
The issues discussed covered a wide range from space management and building maintenance to student transportation. Trustee Sarah Hoffman, vice-chair of the committee, said all the issues must be considered for a balanced solution.
“Some might get a little more attention than others,” she said, “but I think we want to talk about all the factors and all the possible solutions we have at this point.”
The meetings gave citizens the chance to express their greatest concerns as well. Among them was Dale Hudjik, who is the head of ARTES, a parental advocacy group that monitors the school board.
“What’s most troubling to me is that we have been closing schools in Edmonton for a decade,” said Hudjik, “and we haven’t really addressed how much space children actually need to learn in the 21st century.”
Hudjik said the school his children attend, which includes a daycare, is packed tightly with students. However, the Alberta government considers it to be at 50 per cent capacity.
Trustee Christopher Spencer said the province assesses the use of space in schools with a formula that takes into account dead space outside classrooms as well as attached facilities like daycares.
“It counts hallways, bathrooms, and boot rooms as potential instructional spaces,” said Spencer. “But of course, you can’t have a class taught in the hallway.”
Hoffman said the input of informed parents and teachers has proved invaluable to assessing the available data.
“At every single meeting, we invited them to come to the mike and share ideas for how to support schools instead of close them,” Hoffman said.
“The fact that it was our first committee to meet in public is a step in the right direction,” she said. “It’s a testament to the desire for community to have a greater role in decision-making.”
In addition to the plethora of other issues discussed by the board and the community, the Ccommittee is waiting on a report from the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Sustainability.
“We know schools are focal points for communities,” said Hoffman. “We know they’re hubs where children form relationships with staff and other families. The mayor knows that too, which is why we have representatives at the table.”
Spencer agreed the Sustainability Task Force will provide crucial information for the Board to go on.
“The issue of school closures is intimately tied to the city’s development plan,” said Spencer. “Once we have an idea of what the City’s willing to do for sustainability, we’ll have a better ability to create a vision as a school board,” he says.
The Mayor’s Task Force is slated to release its report in early November. No hard date has been set for the moratorium committee to report back to the Board.
“I would expect it to arrive in early 2012, if not sooner.” said Hoffman.
