At last week’s regular meeting of the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, the Board of Trustees voted to begin a Pupil Accommodation Review of the Chatham Catholic elementary schools.
The review will include the school communities of Our Lady of Fatima, St. Vincent, St. Agnes, Monsignor Uyen, St. Joseph, St. Ursula and Georges P. Vanier.
“We believe this pupil accommodation review provides a tremendous opportunity for our students and families and for Catholic education in Chatham,” says Dan Parr, Director of Education. “There are many possibilities, which include the chance to replace or upgrade old, out-dated buildings, which are in need of repairs.”
Some of the options are set out in the initial staff report, which was presented to Trustees.
It will be the task of a Pupil Accommodation Review Committee to provide feedback on the Initial Staff Report. The committee’s membership will include a parent representative and principal from each school community, in addition to community representatives.
It will be chaired by Superintendent of Education Deb Crawford.
“Through this important process, we want to engage with our parent communities, as we work together with them towards a solution to the problem of over-capacity and aging facilities,” says Mr. Parr.
The Board will also arrange tours of Holy Trinity and St. Matthew Catholic schools in Sarnia, two new schools opened in 2010, after the Board successfully completed an accommodation review there.
A final report will be presented to Trustees in March 2017. The decision regarding the future of Chatham schools rests with Trustees; however, any decision will require ultimate funding approval from the Ontario Ministry of Education. A business case will be developed and submitted to the ministry, once Trustees have reached a final decision.
Dates and locations for the public meetings will be finalized and released in the coming days.
For more information about the Pupil Accommodation Review visit www.st-clair.net.
