I have included a link to the EPSB and Edmonton Journal articles for everyone to read.
Edmonton Journal Article 1
Edmonton Journal Article 2
EPSB Article
Currently there is a two year moratorium in place on School closures in mature neighbourhoods.
Please remember the EPSB and the City Of Edmonton need our feedback and assistance by participating in the moratorium meetings and workshops they have setup over the next few months.
Now is not the time to rest on this School Closure issue but to pursue this issue until all local schools are saved and restored. Without local schools our neighbourhoods are not sustainable, local business is affected negatively and our neighbourhoods become less healthy and attractive for new family's to want to live in.
By supporting your local school you are supporting an active, healthy, vibrant community that will flourish and prosper.
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator High
Trustees want to hear from you!
As part of its work, the Committee is holding a number of public meetings over the next few months to help it better understand all of the issues involved. At each meeting, the Committee will explore a different topic. The meeting will begin with the Administration providing a brief presentation on the topic and then the Committee will discuss the topic. Community members are invited to attend the meeting and to share their thoughts.
All meetings will be held in McCauley Chambers at the Centre for Education, One Kingsway (across the street from the Royal Alexandra Hospital). Free underground parking is available.
If you would like to make a presentation to the Committee at one of the meetings, contact Anne Sherwood, Board Secretary, at 780-429-8012 to register as an individual or a delegation.
Meeting dates and locations
Urban Sprawl
May 3 2- 4 p.m.
Aging School Buildings and PO&M (Plant Operations and Maintenance) Funding
May 31 2- 4 p.m.
POM (Plant Operations and Maintenance) Funding and Student Instructional Funding
June 14 2- 4 p.m.
District Enrollment Trends
Sept 13 2- 4 p.m.
Space Utilization
Sept 20 2- 4 p.m.
Leasing
Sept 27 2- 4 p.m.
Alternative Programs and Open Boundaries
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator High
- Stop School Closures.pdf (63 Downloads)
The EFCL is reporting that they are working with the School Board on the School Closure issue. I have copied the article from their website for your convenience. Please use the comments section to voice your opinion on the issue. Every opinion counts and will not go unnoticed.
The EFCL is entering discussions with the Edmonton Public School Board on the controversial issue of school closures. Last fall, the school board agreed to a two-year moratorium on school closures, after the federation and many members of the public expressed their dissatisfaction with the current review process. It appeared to the EFCL that not enough focus was being placed on ways to keep schools open and viable.
The federation fully recognizes that this is a very difficult issue. The bottom line to much of this is the declining numbers of young families in mature neighborhoods, which is an issue the federation is reviewing in concert with the city‘s recently-announced Community Revitalization task force.
The federation is hosting a meeting with the public school board on April 19 to kick start discussions on this topic. Meanwhile, the federation is also attempting to meet with the Minister of Education to promote community usage of any new schools that are built. A number of our newer leagues are looking at sharing space, rather than building a hall and the local school is an obvious option.
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator High
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator Required
If you wish to sign on to this letter on behalf of your organization, you can just email your Name, Position, Organization and Contact Information to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will add you to the signatories.
Please feel free to use this letter to prepare your own letter. If you wish to address yours to your Trustee, or any other Trustee, their email addresses can be found on the EPSB website at http://www.epsb.ca/trustees/index.shtml. you for your interest in keeping Edmonton's public schools open and our communities vibrant.
Please forward this information to organizations that may oppose school closures. And please feel free to add your own comments in your forwarding email
Yours truly,
David Thompson
President
Westmount Community League
www.westmountcommunityleague.com
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator Required
Parents with kids in Edmonton's public schools need not worry about any more school closures... for the next two years any way.
During Tuesday night's meeting of the board of Edmonton Public Schools, trustees voted to impose a two-year moratorium on further closures. This decision comes in the wake of five closures following the 2009-'10 school year. Eastwood, McCauley, Parkdale, Capilano, and Fulton Place schools shut their doors, back in June -- all in an effort to help balance the books
Sarah Hoffman, the vice-chair of the board and trustee for Ward "G," says the board has to find the answer to how much the closures are really costing.
"The numbers that have been batted around the last few years don't seem to really stick on how much we save when we close the schools," said Hoffman, following the meeting.
"We're going to work to find alternatives to school closures and really take time to find the root causes, and hopefully we'll call the other orders of government to the table to work with us."
Original Link
Additional Info
- Community Participation Information Please see indicator level below to learn of the importance of community involvement on this issue
- Indicator Medium
