“I don’t think parents are aware of this,” says Menard. “What’s important for parents to know is that once this (report) passes, our planning staff try to abide by it as much as possible. … It can be used as a sort of big stick in the future to say, ‘Well, this is what’s passed, so we’re abiding by that.’ ”

The elementary framework report is important because it will guide decisions such as which schools should close as the board works to whittle down excess student spaces over the next five years, he says.

Most schools in the board are dual or triple track, offering both English and one or two options for French immersion. A move toward more “single-track” schools would be a dramatic change that most parents would not support, says Menard. “I haven’t talked to one parent who says they want their schools to be completely separated into just English or just French.”

“It’s very positive that they’ve dropped the specification of 1.5 classes,” says parent Shannon Glenn. “But what they’ve replaced it with is some language that is very general and will not provide any guidance.”

The revised report says the school board “is committed to providing rich learning environments with healthy and sustainable programs.”

Who could disagree with that?

It goes on to say that various factors may be considered when making decisions on school size and programs: enrolment, enrolment capacity, size of the school building, number of programs offered, location of school, impact of program offering on other schools and programs, program demand, community interest and “resource allocation.”

It’s a long list, but it doesn’t contain any of the things most important to the parents she knows, says Glenn. They want a school kids can walk to, offering both English and French programs, and reflecting the diversity in the neighbourhood. “A commitment to the English program would be nice.”

Her son Carey is in JK, and will attend the English program at Hopewell starting in Grade 1. (All kindergarten classes are now taught half in French and half in English.) Carey, who is autistic, loves school and has been embraced by his classmates, says Glenn. “He knows the kids in his class. They’re the same kids he plays with in the park.”

Creating single-track schools divides communities, she says. “You’d be splitting the kids in the neighbourhood. Some of them would attend the neighbourhood school and some would be bused to a large (English) school.”

It’s also elitist, she maintains, noting that the English program has an unfair reputation as a repository for children with learning disabilities or behaviour problems and immigrants learning English.

“We all know that immersion has become a proxy for academic performance, and that children who are disadvantaged for whatever reasons typically end up in the English program.”

That stigma would be made worse if English programs were consolidated into separate schools, creating “ghettos,” she says.

Staff say the concentration of English programs at larger schools could improve education for students.

When there are more children in each grade, it allows flexibility in arranging classes, for example. Teachers can decide which class to place students in, taking into account “social-emotional considerations such as having supportive friendships or identifying those who might benefit from being separated.”

Larger programs also allow teachers in the same grade level to collaborate with each other on lessons, “engage in professional dialogue around evidence-based instructional strategies and assessment and evaluation practices that have a high impact on student learning, well-being and achievement,” according to a statement from the school board.

Another benefit of larger schools is that board psychologists and social workers would spend less time driving between schools and more time with children, say staff.

For Loehr and other parents, those benefits pale in comparison to the advantages of a neighbourhood school.

Same-grade teachers should be able to collaborate even if they aren’t in the same school, says Loehr. “I kind of question that. We have this thing called the Internet, it’s pretty good for collaboration. I don’t think you need to create single-track schools to get teachers to talk to each other.”

Other parents say it’s important that children can switch programs without changing schools. Many students begin in French immersion, but drop out. Last year, for example, 70 per cent of kids in regular senior kindergarten classes were enrolled in French immersion. But in Grade 8, the number of students in French immersion was just under half, or 48 per cent.

Hopewell parent Kate Jaimet says it’s a “travesty” that an English school board would consider preventing children from attending their neighbourhood school because they want to study in English. Her younger daughter struggled in French immersion in Grade 1. By Grade 2, she was acting out at school. “She just didn’t understand what was going on in class.”

Her daughter has thrived since switching to the English program at the school, Jaimet told school trustees at a meeting. “She went from being the kid with the problem to the kid that was helping others.” If her daughter had been forced to take a bus to an English-only school, she “would have felt like she flunked out of her school,” said Jaimet. And since her older daughter is in French immersion at Hopewell, the sisters would also be forced to attend different schools.

Finances also play a key role. At some schools, the number of English program students is tiny, creating small class sizes or double and even triple split grades. Since the board is funded by the province based on average class sizes, small classes at one school could mean larger classes elsewhere.

What:A report discussing the makeup of elementary schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

When: Trustees debate the report on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the board office, 133 Greenbank Rd.

jmiller@postmedia.com

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