PLANNING DEPARTMENT PLN October File Code MEMO TO Martha

							                                      PLANNING DEPARTMENT
                                                                                             PLN: 07-33
                                                                                        October 9, 2007
                                                                                         File Code: R02


MEMO TO: Martha Rogers, Director of Education

FROM:           Heather Imm, Senior Planner

RE:             Grangehill Boundary Review Report #2

Classification: Decision


Background

At the November 2006 Board meeting, Trustees passed a motion recommending the commencement
of the Grangehill Boundary Review. In February 2007, the Boundary Review Process to be used for
the Grangehill school was revised. Since then, a Boundary Review Staff Committee has been working
to establish a proposed final boundary for the Grangehill PS, which is scheduled to open in September
2008. According to past practise of the Board, new school boundaries are established at least 10
months prior to the opening of the new school.


Issue

The purpose of this report is to:

•   Summarize the process undertaken to review the attendance area boundary for Grangehill PS;
•   Recommend a preferred boundary for Grangehill PS for the Trustees’ consideration;
•   Inform Trustees about the projected enrolment of Grangehill PS under the recommended
    boundary;
•   Remind Trustees about the necessary redistribution of the remaining Edward Johnson Regular
    Track students as a result of the loss of Grange Rd DA students; and
•   Update Trustees about the need to include a new DA within the Grangehill boundary area as a
    way to reduce the projected enrolment pressure at Grangehill PS.
Recommendations

1. THAT the report PLN: 07-33 “Grangehill Boundary Review Report #2” dated October 9, 2007 be
   received.


2. THAT the preferred JK-8 attendance area boundary for Grangehill PS as outlined in Map 1 of
   Appendix A in report PLN: 07-33 be approved with an implementation date of September 2008.


3. THAT the current Grade 7 students within the preferred JK-8 attendance area for Grangehill as
   outlined in Map 1 be grandfathered for their final year at King George in September 2008.


4. THAT the 7/8 attendance area boundary for King George PS as outlined in Map 2 of Appendix B
   in report PLN: 07:33 be approved with an implementation date of September 2008.




Rationale


Please see attached “Grangehill PS Elementary Boundary Review Report # 2.”




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Grangehill Boundary Review #2              2                             October 9, 2007
                                 GRANGEHILL PS
                   ELEMENTARY BOUNDARY REVIEW


                                           Report #2




                          Presented to the Business Operations Committee

                                  Upper Grand District School Board




                                            October 9, 2007




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Grangehill Boundary Review #2              3                             October 9, 2007
1.0    INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of Boundary Review Process

The boundary review process for Grangehill PS was initiated in Spring 2007. The momentum
for undertaking this process at that time was the need to have a boundary for the new school
approved at least 10 months prior to the opening of the school. Grangehill PS is planned to
open in September 2008. At one of the initial meetings of the Staff Committee, a draft list of
Goals, Objectives and Constraints for the review was outlined as follows:




At the May 8, 2007 Business Operations meeting, Trustees received the Grangehill Elementary
Boundary Review Report #1. This report contained the background information on the
boundary review process as well as details on one preliminary boundary scenario being
proposed by the Staff Committee.


Since the presentation of Report #1, the Staff Committee held a public Open House on June
4, 2007. The purpose of this Open House was to allow the community to come and discuss
the preliminary scenario with Staff.
       At this point in the Boundary Review process, the Staff Committee is required to bring forward a
       preferred boundary for Grangehill PS for approval.


       1.2         Purpose of this Report

       The purpose of this report is to:

       •     Summarize the process undertaken to review the attendance area boundary for Grangehill
             PS;
       •     Recommend a preferred boundary for Grangehill PS for the Trustees’ consideration;
       •     Inform Trustees about the projected enrolment of Grangehill PS under the recommended
             boundary;
       •     Remind Trustees about the necessary redistribution of the remaining Edward Johnson
             Regular Track students as a result of the loss of Grange Rd DA students; and
       •     Update Trustees about the need to include a new DA within the Grangehill boundary area
             as a way to reduce the projected enrolment pressure at Grangehill PS.



       2.0         PUBLIC CONSULTATION


       On June 4, 2007 the Boundary Review Staff Committee held its Public Open House at
       Waverley Dr. PS from 4-6pm and 7-9pm. At the open house, displays showed the preliminary
       boundary proposal and Staff were available to answer questions. Handouts and comment
       sheets were also available to the public to gather any additional input.


       There was not a large attendance at the Open House and the parents who came to the
       meeting were all residents of the proposed Grangehill attendance area. The overall
       impression of the meeting was that these parents were pleased that the opening of a new
       elementary school in this area was imminent. There were no concerns expressed about the
       preliminary boundary being proposed by the Staff Committee.




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       3.0    PRELIMINARY SCENARIO #1



       The preliminary boundary or Scenario 1 from Report 1 is consistent with the boundary outlined
       for Grangehill PS in Scenario 16B, which was the preferred scenario of the East Guelph
       Accommodation Review Committee prior to the review suspension in February 2005.
       Therefore, this boundary resulted from the work of a Committee involving Board staff as well as
       school, parent and municipal representatives and was subject to public consultation.


       The proposed Grangehill boundary in Scenario 1 is mainly comprised of the Eastview, Grange
       Rd and Watson East Development Areas (DA’s) and therefore is returning these areas to a
       “home” school from their temporary holding school locations. The boundary also includes a
       piece of the current Edward Johnson Regular Track attendance area.

       Based on the Scenario 1 boundary, the following is the projected FTE enrolment for the new
       Grangehill PS:




       4.0    ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT AREA


       According to the above enrolment projections, Grangehill PS is projected to experience
       increasing enrolment pressure as the new subdivisions east of Victoria Rd and south of Eastview
       Rd continue to build out and young families move in. By the end of the projection period, it is
       projected that Grangehill PS will have approximately 700 students. The school is planned to
       be constructed for 506 pupils.


       In order to reduce the enrolment at Grangehill, it is necessary that a section of the current
       Grange Rd DA be split off from the Grangehill boundary from Scenario 1 and maintained as a
       Development Area. The remainder of the Grange Rd DA would be included in the new
       boundary for Grangehill. The most appropriate location for this new DA would be the area on
       either side of Starwood Dr. which is currently vacant land with three proposed residential plans
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Grangehill Boundary Review #2              7                             October 9, 2007
       of subdivision. The general location of this future DA is shown on Map 1 in Appendix A.
       Currently, the residential plans for this area total approximately 600 residential units. Based
       on the number of students projected from these developments (approx. 100 JK-8 students by
       2016) it is recommended that this DA be assigned to Tytler PS. The enrolment of Tytler PS will


       be reduced by approximately 50 JK-6 students in 2008, once the new Grangehill PS opens
       and the Watson East DA is no longer accommodated at Tytler PS. The exact location of this
       future Development Area would be determined once this plan of subdivision has been
       formalized through the City of Guelph’s Draft Plan approval process.


       5.0    REDISTRIBUTION OF EDWARD JOHNSON REGULAR TRACK PROGRAM



       During the Boundary Review Committee’s discussions about the preliminary boundary for
       Grangehill PS, the issue of the impact on the Regular Track program at Edward Johnson
       became apparent. Prior to the presentation of Report 1 at Business Operations meeting, a
       meeting was held on May 7, 2007 with those affected Edward Johnson parents to inform them
       of this issue. Parents were provided with information on the proposed preliminary boundary for
       Grangehill as well as enrolment projection information. Specifically, parents were informed
       that the Regular Track program at Edward Johnson is projected to be approximately 76
       students once the Grange Rd DA is reassigned to Grangehill PS. Compounding this is the fact
       that the immediate attendance area for Edward Johnson is not growing and therefore the
       enrolment is projected to continue to decline over the next decade. It was explained by Staff
       that maintaining the Regular Track program at Edward Johnson with this size an enrolment is
       not viable.


       Following this meeting, a survey was sent out to the parents to gauge their preferences for a
       redistribution of the attendance area in order to assist Staff in coming forward with a
       recommendation. Based on the information from the surveys and based on the transportation
       policy walking distance maps, a new boundary for the Edward Johnson attendance area was
       created and received Board approval in June 2007. Based on this new boundary, the Edward
       Johnson Regular Track boundary will be split between Waverley Dr. PS, Laurine Ave. PS and


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Grangehill Boundary Review #2              8                             October 9, 2007
       Ottawa Cres. PS. The implementation for the new attendance area boundaries for Laurine
       Ave, Waverley Dr and Ottawa Cres. is September 2008.



       6.0      PREFERRED GRANGEHILL PS BOUNDARY


       The Boundary Review Staff Committee’s preferred boundary for the new Grangehill PS is shown
       on Map 1 in Appendix A. This boundary is consistent with the one outlined as Scenario 1 in
       Report 1, with the exception that a section of the Grange Rd DA will not be included in the
       boundary but will be split off as a future Development Area.


       Under the preferred scenario of the Staff Committee, the following changes would take place:

       September 2008

       •     Grangehill opens as JK-7
       •     Eastview DA Regular Track JK-6 students move from Brant Ave. to new Grangehill PS,
             Grade 7 students to Grangehill, Grade 8 students grandfathered at King George PS
       •     Grange Rd DA Regular Track JK-6 students move from Edward Johnson PS to new
             Grangehill PS, Grade 7 students to Grangehill, Grade 8 students grandfathered at King
             George PS
       •     Watson Road East DA Regular Track JK-6 students move from Tytler PS to new Grangehill
             PS, Grade 7 students to Grangehill, Grade 8 students grandfathered at King George PS
       •     Portion of Edward Johnson Regular Track JK-6 students move from Edward Johnson to
             Grangehill PS, Grade 7 students to Grangehill, Grade 8 students grandfathered at King
             George PS
       •     DA to be assigned to Tytler PS for JK-6 and King George for Gr. 7/8




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Grangehill Boundary Review #2              9                             October 9, 2007
       September 2009

       •   Grangehill PS program expands to include Grade 8

       Under the Scenario 2 boundary the projected enrolment of Grangehill PS is as follows:




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