English school board 'pressured' to let French board take over closed high school: Trustee

TDSB to decide on sale of closed schools. TDSB staff are recommending the sale of West Toronto Collegiate Institute on Landsdowne Ave. north of College St., which closed last year due to under-enrolment. The French public school board wants to buy it. Courtesy/GOOGLE MAPS

Davenport Trustee Maria Rodrigues said the Ministry of Education is pushing the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to declare West Toronto Collegiate Institute, which closed this year due to under-enrolment, surplus to the board's needs so the French public school board can use the high school. However, Rodrigues, who said she wants the board to move its west education office from Etobicoke to the College Street and Landsdowne Avenue area high school, could not identify a specific individual at the provincial level who is pushing the board to do so.

Her allegation is strong because it suggests a significant attempt by the province to indirectly influence what is supposed to be a school board decision. Elected trustees are ultimately responsible for deciding whether to close school properties and what to do with them afterward, including leasing or selling them, using them for other board purposes or leaving them vacant for possible future use. But they make those decisions after receiving recommendations from school board staff.

The ministry did not respond directly to Rodrigues's accusation that it was "pressuring" the school board nor whether it has had correspondence with the board about West Toronto.

"What I can tell you is that the TDSB has a significant capital deficit," said ministry spokesperson Patricia MacNeil, referring to the board's $2.8 billion backlog of deferred repairs.

"They have proposed a plan to use proceeds from the sale of surplus properties to eliminate that deficit and undertake new capital projects... The ministry encourages boards to sell sites that are surplus to their needs so they can focus on maintaining and operating their open schools."

If the TDSB declares West Toronto surplus for lease or sale, the French public school board has first crack at acquiring the property for "fair market value", according to regulation 444 of the provincial Education Act,

The French board confirmed it is interested in West Toronto and staff will probably recommend its trustees approve making an offer for the school if the TDSB makes it available.

"Depending what the parameters are, and depending on ministry funding - we have some ministry funding but sometimes depending on what we want to do, we need more - but most certainly we will more likely recommend action in that respect," said Gyslaine Hunter-Perreaut, director of education for the French public school board for central and southwestern Ontario.

Hunter-Perreaut said she had a teleconference Wednesday, Aug. 25 with TDSB staff about West Toronto and is hopeful the board will make a decision on the school's fate soon.

"We have a growing French population in our schools," said Hunter-Perreaut.

She said the board has specifically identified accommodation pressures at its schools in west Toronto and Scarborough.

Currently, the French board has seven elementary schools in the City of Toronto and two high schools, one downtown and one near York Mills Road and Leslie Street. It is in the midst of buying five acres of land near McCowan Road and Steeles Avenue from the TDSB where it will build a new elementary school, a replacement for the only one it has in Scarborough.

However, Rodrigues said residents in her ward don't want to lose West Toronto to the French board.

"We still need it for our own purposes," she said of the 38-year-old high school.

Rodrigues said she, along with trustees Irene Atkinson (Parkdale-High Park) and Chris Bolton (Trinity-Spadina), plan to present a solution to keep West Toronto open at a community meeting at the school Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. Board staff will also present their recommendations on what to do with the school at the meeting, before the issue is decided on by trustees at their Sept. 7 board meeting.

The trio of trustees want the school board to move its employees out of its west education office, located beside the former Etobicoke City Hall, into West Toronto, Rodrigues said. The school would also offer continuing education and ESL classes to the community, something Rodrigues said locals have requested.

Both options have already been reviewed and dismissed by board staff, which recommended the school be sold in a report to trustees in June. While moving the board's west administrative office into West Toronto would use up 75 per cent of the school space, there would be "significant costs" to turn the 50-classroom school into administrative space, staff explained.

But Rodrigues said that money could be generated by the board's sale of the west administrative office.

Currently, 450 TDSB employees, including superintendents and administrative staff, work in the west office, which is located near the Hwy. 427 and Burnhamthorpe Road interchange.

While the Etobicoke office has 299 parking spaces, West Toronto only has 104. However, Rodrigues said that wouldn't be a problem.

"We're downtown so we're accessible to TTC," she said.

Davenport Councillor Adam Giambrone agreed with that assessment.

"Parking availability is always a concern for some residents. However, residents are typically most concerned about overnight parking, not daytime parking. Also, I think many employees would choose to take public transportation since the school is close to Lansdowne subway station, the Bloor GO station as well as a bus route and two streetcar routes," Giambrone explained.

"The local community has expressed a strong preference for keeping the site with the TDSB and having local programming at the school, such as continuing education and ESL classes, under the Community Use of Schools policy," he added.

Board staff have said, however, ESL classes are already available at its large Bickford Centre at Christie Road and Bloor Street and continuing education classes are offered at both Central Tech near Bathurst Street and Bloor Street and Western Tech north of High Park. The latter offers programs only one night a week and could be expanded if needed.

Rodrigues said none of those sites adequately serve residents in her area.

A map of the board's existing continuing education sites and programs is available at www.learn4life.ca