LEE STREET (STOCKFORD SITE) BOUNDARY REVIEW
PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION AGENDA:
7:00 – 7:15pm
SIGN IN, OPEN HOUSE
7:15 – 7:45pm
STAFF PRESENTATION
7:45 - 8:15pm
QUESTION AND ANSWERS
8:15 - 9:00pm
OPEN HOUSE
Opportunity to review displays and ask questions of
Staff Committee members
PLEASE LEAVE COMPLETED BLUE COMMENT SHEETS AT SIGN IN TABLE
AT SIGN IN TABLE:

LEE STREET (STOCKFORD SITE) BOUNDARY REVIEW – REPORT #2 (Blue Comment Form)
Completed Comment Forms can be left at Sign In Table
OTHER MATERIALS AVAILABLE:
o
STAFF’S PROPOSED TRANSITION PLAN FOR EAST GUELPH
o
DESCRIPTION OF DELEGATION PROCEDURE
o
BOUNDARY REVIEW POLICY 320
Question and Answer Session:
Q: Scenario A and B, why pick one over the other? There is only a 41 student difference. Why is Scenario B not
an option?
A: They both have very similar numbers. The greater number of students are forecasted out the ‘pie’ in
Scenario B, heading to Lee Street. The split could not occur down Starwood, there are not enough students on
the east side to go to Lee Street. In Scenario B the pressure is higher for the new school, and it would leave Ken
Danby with some space. The safe walking routes are not as good for the ‘pie’ to the new school.
C: I think that the school board should have perhaps been looking for sites before now. I have a concern with
children crossing Starwood.
Q: I have a concern about the children holding at King George PS. They will be sent to 3 schools in 3 years.
A: We appreciate what you are describing and we will take into consideration what grade levels are better able
to deal with these transitions.
C: The boundary doesn’t make sense because it is not safe walking from Grange, Starwood or the rail line – 3
barriers.
A: Crossing the rail line is not a route identified for students to walk to school, it is not being considered a safe
walking route and students may be eligible for transportation.
C: It would make more sense to have older kids hold at King George rather than the younger students.
A: We will take your suggestions into consideration.
C: Some of the 7/8’s would have been at 4 different schools – a number of students at Ken Danby came from
Edward Johnson PS.
C: I live on Law – which is a 4 minute walk across the park and we can see the school from our house. My kids
could be split. What am I supposed to do for daycare?
C: Adding another school at the corner of Grange and Starwood will be madness. We purposely have not
bought another house so our children could stay at Ken Danby and walk without crossing Watson or Starwood.
What is the exact number of families in this Scenario A area? The Catholic Board is doing a better job of letting
people know about their boundary review. This will affect the resale value of our home.
C: I am another former Edward Johnson parent that lives on Law Street. My concern is about kids being
shuffled around because the school is too small. Kids need stability, it’s not fair.
C: Who decided the 6 streets in Scenario A? The numbers can’t be very many and these streets back right on
to the school site.
C: I have a list of 35 families on Lee and Law Streets who prefer Scenario B.
Q: I live on Chesterson and Grange. What are the criteria of who will move to King George?
A: Grade 7 & 8’s wont be moved to King George, any other criteria of who will/wont’ go to the holding school
has not been decided. No decisions have been made, but historically we have grandparented grade 7 and 8
students.
C: I feel you are picking and choosing who would go to the holding school. Ask parents who they would like to
go.
C: There are social development concerns with moving kids around. There is no good age to do this.
C: I am a Starwood resident. My child moved from Brant Ave to Ken Danby and it was very disruptive. I’m not
going to have him disrupted again. There is no way he can walk to school, I’ll pull him out of school and home
school him then. You need to rethink this.
Q: Where in the process are you going to do a feedback loop and report back to parents?
A: Feedback will be taken into consideration in Report #3, and all feedback received will be summarized in the
report and brought to Trustees.
C: We would like to have another meeting.
A: There are 4 Trustees in the audience hearing your concerns, and this will be on their minds when they
receive the report from staff.
C: Lee Street is not a good site – is there another place to build? The other side of Watson would be better. It
was a struggle for the community to get a stoplight at Watson and Grange. We would need to get the
paperwork started now to get a light at Starwood and Lee. Can’t the school board go back to the drawing
board and get another site?
A: The Board’s view is that the Lee Street School is needed immediately to accommodate Full Day Kindergarten
(FDK). We recognize there are some topographical challenges, but it is central to serving the long term needs
of the community.
Q: Why are we talking about this after only 4 years of Ken Danby opening? Why did Starwood not make the
boundary?
A: Staff looked at a number of scenarios to use Starwood, but there was not enough relief or enough
enrolment to feed the new Lee Street School.
C: FDK is one issue, but the school was already maxed out.
C: If FDK was delayed, would that change the need for a holding school? Grade 7 and 8’s should stay at Ken
Danby to graduate.
C: I’m for Scenario B - the Board has to take into consideration the group that is here tonight who are very
upset about not liking Scenario A. Please Trustees listen to the parents.
Q: The Guelph Innovation District (GID) – why would they develop homes in that area?
A: The City of Guelph is looking at GID and there is a component of residential on the current turf grass area.
We have to set it aside until we know more information on if/when residential will be developed.
Q: Lee Street is to open in 2014 – how long does it take to build a school?
A: Approximately 1 year.
Q: Why not build sooner?
A: We still have to get the funding from the Ministry, and then will have to go through a series of approvals with
the City.
C: Concern about crossing Starwood and Grange. Why can’t we keep both areas east of Starwood at Ken
Danby?
C: Summit Ridge resident – looks like the walk to school will triple and there will be a major street crossing.
C: A lot of people may move to avoid kids moving 3 times. Suggestion – why can’t students who are currently
enrolled at Ken Danby stay, and new residents send the children to the holding school?
C: There has not been enough parental notice given, there needs to be more parent input.
C: Why weren’t advertisements sent door to door?
A: A lot of information was sent out, by the school, in the newspaper, on the school website and board’s
website.
Q: The pocket of 6 streets in Scenario A – how many students are there?
A: The 2017 projection is around 90 JK-8 students.
C: There are 29 houses and only 6 families. Would like to know the actual number. Make an amendment to
Scenario A not to include that group.
C: There is concern about the holding school – multiple moves for the children. Has anyone considered
transportation/bussing to King George? There was no transportation from King George to Waverley. It’s not
fair to make parents deal with this.
A: Availability of transportation will be a consideration in Report #3.
C: If you are going to move kids out of the neighbourhood, you need to give consideration to transportation.
C: There are concerns about the holding school and the possibility of splitting siblings. There should be an
open forum once the holding school plan is set.
Q: What further ability does the school board have to build Ken Danby bigger?
A: The current expansion if for FDK to bring Ken Danby to 576 pupil places. It’s not typical for the Board to
build bigger schools.
C: Other boards have schools much bigger.
A: Can’t speak to making the school larger – no one from Capital is at the meeting.
Q: Can we avoid the holding school?
A: No. The school is projected to be 200+ pupil places over capacity with the addition and 6 portables.
Q: Can the board delay FDK?
A: The Board doesn’t have the ability to delay FDK; the rollout was defined by the Ministry. The Ministry would
require us to trade for another school.
C: The school is already at capacity now – you can’t blame the Premier.
Q: How much have you actually looked into the numbers? Have you already made decisions? Especially about
the holding school and who will go to it?
A: The only decisions made by staff are what scenarios to bring forward. Regarding the holding school, we
need to hear your concerns so we can best address these needs and bring them to the Trustees.
Q: The issue about the holding school – when are we going to know who will go?
A: The final report will be available on May 4th for review. This will include the new boundary, and the
implementation plan.
Q: Can we get out of area permission?
A: There is an out of area process to follow, but there also might be grandparenting provisions.
C: A lot of people are making arguments – I recommend they show up to the board meetings as delegations.
C: If you look at the Ministry of Education website, a lot of schools are getting FDK in 2013.
A: It sounds like a good idea to push FDK at Ken Danby off, but in 2013 there are 13 schools becoming FDK.
The last few years of FDK implementation construction has to happen, and this schedule is set with the Ministry.
The Ministry has already been asked about delaying some schools, but the answer was no. The board is tied to
the current schedule at this point.
Q: Why can’t Ken Danby be added to? There is quite a lot of property. Why can’t you build a school on the
other side of Watson?
A: There are pressures in both directions, with a large subdivision abutting the new school site. The Lee Street
site gives us the opportunity to accommodate the growing pressures.
C: You need to find a way to minimize damage from the transition. Find a way to minimize disruptions.
C: The kids are victims in all this. For fairness there should be parents that sit on the boundary committee to
balance things out.