St. Catherine's given brief reprieve from closure decision

CYNTHIA REASON

November 12, 2009

The Toronto Catholic board's provincial supervisor agreed Wednesday night to give more careful consideration to the proposed closure of a North York elementary school, after frustrated parents and the local councillor spoke out against the move.

Richard Alway asked delegates fighting against the closure and consolidation of St. Catherine Catholic School - Don Valley East Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong among them - to submit to him their written statements so he could review and consult with staff before rendering his verdict.

"I want to make sure I'm comfortable with my final decision," he said, noting the possibility that he could come back with a decision as early as next week.

A staff report recommending St. Catherine be closed effective June 30, 2011 was first submitted to the board at its April 29 meeting. The report recommends that the school's 125 students then be consolidated in an expanded building at nearby Annunciation Catholic School.

TCDSB staff projected the consolidation would bring a "significant" one-time cost savings of $1,225,730 by the elimination of deferred maintenance costs associated with the St. Catherine school building. They also pegged the estimated proceeds of the disposition of the St. Catherine site (if sold for the purpose of residential development) at approximately $2,070,000 - monies which could then be used to fund the $2,222,410, six-classroom addition rendered necessary at Annunciation.

Minnan-Wong, speaking as both the local councillor and as a former student of both schools, argued against the staff recommendation, citing space, traffic and funding issues.

"First off, there's not a lot of room on the (Annunciation) site to begin with, so an addition will take away from the area students have to recreate," he said, noting also that Annunciation's close proximity to a public school (it's located 200 metres away from Ranchdale Public School), could spell traffic congestion.

Lastly, Minnan-Wong contended that funding for the addition should be secured before the closure takes place, not contingent upon the sale of the St. Catherine site.

"To close the school before you get the funding, you could see it all fall apart," he said. "I suggest you take a second look at the issue and I recommend you not adopt the recommendations (to close St. Catherine.)"

That sentiment was echoed by Linda Padalino and Hana Cocco - both members of St. Catherine's parent council who took part in the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) - who said unlike staff, the ARC did not endorse the closing of St. Catherine. In fact, the committee recommended that "all five schools continue to flourish as a place of learning academically and spiritually through service to the community and its constituents."

For Padalino and Cocco, the latest TCDSB staff report brought on more questions than it resolved - how did the board arrive at the property value for St. Catherine? Where did the $2.2 million Annunciation addition price tag come from? Where will their children be accommodated during construction? When will the board officially consult, as promised, with the St. Catherine's community? How will a full-day Kindergarten be accommodated?

None of those questions were answered at Wednesday night's board meeting.

"Based on the recommendations put forward by the board, it is clear that the reason for closing St. Catherine is not because of enrolment, education for students, or Catholic values, but solely based on the costs of maintaining schools," Padalino said. "This is an extremely short-sighted approach to education. Children cannot be "right-sized" and therefore schools cannot be "right-sized." This approach is extremely self-destructive."

Alway sympathized with parents, noting that, without exception, the closure of schools come at a "great loss" to local communities, who use schools both as neighbourhood hubs and as a source of community identity.

"But at the same time, I can see the logic in the staff recommendations...it's the board's responsibility to spend our resources in the best possible way," he said.

Alway's final decision is expected next week.