Efforts on two fronts planning for community education

Efforts to have public school boards recognize the needs of education in rural communities have been moving along in recent years, on two different fronts.

A motion requested by Jim Collard, a former town councillor in NOTL, about potential changes to Ontario’s education policies, was approved by council Monday.

In information Lord Mayor Betty Disero presented to councillors during their discussion with Collard when he made his request last week about other local plans, mother and provincial policy director Caroline Polgrabia joked that she was “outed.” She has been working behind the scenes for about eight years, since Parliament Oak closed, with a group of local people dedicated to offering some form of community education in town.

While Collard’s provincial school alliance has reached the point of being ready to ask for municipal support, Polgrabia says she too is ready to go the public, “99 per cent sure” her group will have something tangible for parents and high school students by this September.

Polgrabia grew up in town, attending Parliament Oak and Niagara District Secondary School. She was living in Toronto and working for the province when she decided to come home and raise her children in NOTL, envisioning them following her footsteps through the halls of the two schools she
attended.

Instead, her children are now at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School, and while her ultimate goal is to eventually have a public high school in NOTL, she doesn’t expect it to be in time for her kids.

She is starting with small steps, providing space for something similar to a supervised study hall, allowing high school students to gather in their community after school hours.

Collard, a member of the provincial Community Schools Alliance, said the educational policy of the past two decades in Ontario has resulted in the amalgamation of smaller local schools into larger buildings, and often the closure of schools in smaller communities. Instead of attending school within their local community, many students are forced to attend schools in communities further away from home. 

That has occurred in NOTL, as Polgrabia and many parents have experienced since the closure of NDSS, despite concerted efforts of the community to keep it open.

The trend toward busing rural and smaller-community students into other communities can have wide-ranging impacts on the health, well-being, and stability of students, parents, and affected communities. The impacts of these closures may also not be immediately apparent, with potentially longer-term impacts being experienced decades later with negative economic competitiveness and socioeconomic outcomes, a Community Schools Alliance document says.

A recent study by Western University, also referenced by the alliance, showed small rural and northern communities with schools tend to have more private amenities and more public services than those without schools; that closing a school in a single-school community threatens the future existence of those amenities and services, and the quality of life of the families living there; and that closing a school also reduces the ability to attract new growth and economic development to the community. 

Unfortunately, Collard said, under the current education governance model, local area municipalities have little influence over school board capital infrastructure decisions.

The alliance says ministry, school boards, and municipalities need to work together to develop policies that address planning for declining enrolments, the accommodation review committee process, a review of funding to rural and small community schools, and improved transparency and accountability in capital infrastructure decision-making. 

The alliance is asking for an increase to funding for the rural and northern education fund, which supports students in those schools; and that a moratorium on accommodation reviews remain in place for the schools until a thorough review of the education funding formula is completed.

Collard asked for a motion be passed by councillors to adopt those resolutions, saying “all students should have the opportunity to attend elementary and secondary school in their home community.”

The motion includes that there be consultation with school boards and community groups, including the community school alliance regarding pupil accommodation review guideline templates are developed.

Coun. Gary Burroughs moved Collard’s motion, and added that staff should meet with the school board to discuss new schools in the community, both high schools and elementary schools.

Lord Mayor Betty Disero assured councillors those discussions are already occurring at some level with residents involved, referring to Polgrabia’s plan, although she wasn’t prepared to share the details.

Coun. Clare Cameron agreed that meetings between board and town staff should happen periodically, and that the town should try to rebuild its relationship with the board. There is a lot of emotion over past issues, and a lot of sadness that “the younger portion of our population has been treated as invisible,” she said.

Although there was some discussion about a school in Glendale down the road, “Glendale is exciting, but it’s a huge long-term plan, and we’re a broad municipality,” said Cameron, cautioning against hanging too much on one place, that is still so far down the road.

Coun. Wendy Cheropita suggested “now is the time to look forward. The population is growing, and our strategic plan is looking at attracting families,” she said. “Now is the time for action and solutions.”

Coun. Erwin Wiens said the town should move forward with a business model identified. “If we don’t have a plan in place, they won’t listen to us.”

There was unanimous support for Burroughs’ motion as requested by Collard and the Community Schools Alliance, and further that staff confidante meetings with both Niagara school boards to discuss the possibility of new schools in NOTL.

Polgrabia has a plan, and is trying to build a
relationship with the school boards. She said although they are not ready to help her yet, “they didn’t say no,” leaving the door open for support when the time is right.

She plans an information session for parents and students, and an open house to see how many are interested in the youth campus idea as a start, hopefully this summer.

First, she needs to nail down the location — she feels she has secured the right space in the right place, but has nothing signed yet.

She has people lined up to be mentors to the students, but has to finalize a governance model.

While she is looking at something in her community for local students, the model, she said, should be one that could be applied in all rural communities

This is just a start, she added, hoping to one day be able to offer curriculum programming, immersive, hands-on learning, sports — taking the lead from parents and students to offer what they are looking for.