The Limestone District School Board's Long-Term Accommodation Plan provides an approach to program and accommodation planning within a time frame that allow for responsiveness and flexibility in a changing environment. The latest version of the document covers the 15-year period beginning in the spring of 2016.
The Ministry of Education requires that school boards complete a long-term accommodation plan to address the future needs of students and "effectively right-size and manage excess capacity in their schools.” Areas of enrolment growth and decline should be presented along with enrolment projections, school capacity, renewal needs, potential consolidations and the construction of new schools or additions, including significant renovations.
Through this planning process, boards forecast where new schools or additions may be needed; which schools will remain well-utilized; which open and operating schools may have unused space; and which schools may be candidates for consolidation or closure. School boards are also expected to share this planning information with community partners.
Update: No new planned Pupil Accommodation Reviews
In June 2017, the Ministry of Education put a halt on any future school closures due to its decision to review and revise its Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline (PARG) and Community Planning and Partnerships Guideline (CPPG). The Ministry gathered feedback on a series of proposed revisions to the PARG and CPPG from the public, municipalities, and education sector partners in the fall of 2017. It gathered further feedback on a draft revised PARG in spring of 2018.
The Ministry was to work with education and municipal stakeholders and partner ministries over the summer to develop supports such as templates to assist boards with an anticipated release in the fall of 2018. While these supports are being developed, there will continue to be no new Pupil Accommodation Reviews, unless they are required to support a joint-use school initiative between two coterminous school boards.
To be clear, there are no new planned Pupil Accommodation Reviews in the Limestone District School Board in the foreseeable future due to the Ministry-mandated moratorium on reviews. Also, it is also important to note that the Long-Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP), released in May 2016, is only a resource report that staff may, or may not, use to inform its future recommendations – should the moratorium be lifted by the Ministry. Further, any Consultation or Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) would first have to be approved by the Board of Trustees before it could proceed.
Long-Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP)
The Limestone District School Board engaged the consulting firm of Ameresco Asset Sustainability Group Inc. to prepare a Long-Term Accommodation Plan, or LTAP, for the Board. The LTAP was presented to Trustees for information on May 24, 2016.
The LTAP has a number of recommendations concerning school consolidations/closures, new schools/additions and boundary changes over the 15-year planning horizon. These recommendations are intended to improve operating efficiencies and to provide stronger program opportunities for LDSB students.
In accordance with the new Ministry Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline (PARG) and Board Policy 15: Pupil Accommodation Review, prior to a Pupil Accommodation Review the following must occur:
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Staff will need to prepare an Initial Staff Report and present to Trustees; and
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Based upon the Initial Staff Report, Trustees may approve the formation of a Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) for a group of schools or for a single school.
Ministry Documents