The timeline for the Central Public School boundary review might be changing, but parents of children that attend the school still have concerns about how the review will impact their families.
Upper Grand District School Board chair Ralf Mesenbrink said he is going to put forth a motion at Tuesday's board meeting "to continue a process of dialogue and engagement with the community and the city. But without options for moving students for 2024. In other words, keep the status quo for the next school year.”
The original plan was to have the boundary review completed by the next school year.
He has had interactions with parents “and that’s given me a much better understanding of the community,” Mesenbrink said.
The possible delay in setting a new boundary hasn't eased the concern of many parents whose children may have to switch schools.
“Now, actually to be honest with you my real concern is, is just how resistant and lacking in transparency the board and the trustees have been up to this point,” said Joe Lofranco, whose daughter attends the school.
He first heard of the boundary review on Oct. 20 through an email. Lofranco reached out to the school’s principal and was told this is a board matter. He contacted staff at the board. He didn't receive a response until Ruchika Angrish, manager of planning at UGDSB got back to him. Mesenbrink also responded to him.
The first option from the initial boundary review report is to reassign Grade 6 students from Central to Willow Road Public School.
Options two to four are variations on reassigning part of the Central boundary to Paisley Road Public School. Maps in the report outline the areas to potentially reassign.
"Staff pulled enrolment numbers on Oct. 31 from our Student Information System. These numbers currently are unverified as it takes board staff a while to verify these numbers for Ministry (of Education) purposes," said Heather Loney, manager of communications and public relations at UGDSB, in an email.
The current on-the-ground capacity, meaning the school not including temporary accomodation like a portable, at Central is 274 students. The current enrolment is 286. There is one portable on-site.
Paisley has an on-the-ground capacity of 510 students. The enrolment is 394 students. There is one portable on-site.
Willow has a capacity of 607 students. The enrolment is 375 and there are no portables.
“So I wonder if this is really about boosting enrolment at Willow so that they can say our schools are operating at efficiency,” said Lofranco. This way the board would be able to ask for money for what they need, he said.
“Which actually is a fair argument, but they’re not saying it to us. They're being dishonest with us and they're not responding,” Lofranco said.
When Mesenbrink was asked by GuelphToday whether the boundary review was for a concern over Paisley and Willow being under capacity and not Central being at capacity, he said “from my point of view absolutely not.”
“The issue was around Central Public School. You know there's a relatively small space with a small playground. During my visits there I've heard from staff about a number of students there and so on. And it was not about Willow and Paisley only in the sense that they had some capacity to take some students from Central, not in terms of trying to increase enrolment there,” Mesenbrink said.
Tia Graham-Winters, chair of Central’s school council, has three children who go to the school. Her eldest son would be in Grade 6 for the 2025/2026 school year. If option one was implemented he would go to Willow.
“And that worries me a little bit. I've always been a little bit afraid for that, that switch over there. However, I know it’s coming. So that feels a little less hard to swallow then the idea of redrawing the boundary lines. It would split them up from their friends … in almost every case my kids are affected,” said Graham-Winters.
It has been challenging for students the last couple of years because of the pandemic, she said.
“They weren't able to kind of really socialize in the way and build friendships in the way that you normally would. And now that has all happened new friendships have formed. Everyone is comfortable, everyone is happy. And it is, it’s hard to imagine that the rug might be pulled out from underneath them,” said Graham-Winters.
“My biggest concern with the three options that would require kids to go to Paisley school. So options, two, three or four. Is the crossing of Edinburgh by the young kids,” said James Bryson, parent to two children who attend Central.
Aside from the safety concerns he said it disrupts students by “forcing them to a new school.”
Option one would probably be less harmful for student well-being, said Matt Mulhern, parent of two children who attend Central.
He’s hoping if the numbers work out the one portable at Central could stay “... at the expense of a handful of parking spots for staff. That keeps the school whole and keeps the well being of students in mind,” Mulhern said.
Mesenbrink confirmed the portable can remain onsite.
The impact on students and families “... especially in light of our projections having the portable there I think moving forward is a key to this,” he said.
