Committee of the Whole: April 8, 2025
The Committee of the Whole Meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School took place on April 8, 2025, with me as chair. Staff brought forward 1 report for discussion and a Trustee brought forward a Notice of Motion with 1 recommendation.
I voted in favour of the Notice of Motion was brought forward to ensure that an update on the implementation of the Ministry of Education's Policy and Program Memorandum 119, developing and implementing equity and inclusive education policies in Ontario schools is provided to the Board of Trustees no later than September 30, 2025. This update will be provided through an update on the Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Roadmap or as a separate update to the Board of Trustees. The recommendations were carried.
Staff brought forward Report 022, on a Comprehensive Report on the Elementary Program Review: Revised Proposal related to Program Model and Support for Students, Attendance Boundaries and Grade Configurations. This report provides a synopsis of the elementary program review to date, including proposed changes outlined in previous reports, highlighting any additional changes or adjustments that have been made in response to extensive feedback received through the active community engagement campaign.
This revised report is informed by three key information sources (public consultation, relevant research and District-level data), a revised program model, including proposed changes to support for students through specialized program classes. The Consultation Report captured input from 10,458 respondents with 7 overarching thematic categories including community and social structures; student well-being and transitions; equity and access to education; support and resources for students with special education needs; operational logistics and implementation; operational logistics and implementation; transparency, communication and consultation; and French Immersion program changes.
Below is the overview of the revised proposal for the Elementary Programs:
Proposed Elementary Program Models: The proposed program model would continue to provide kindergarten students with a 50/50 bilingual program; students in Grades 1 to 8 would have a choice between two program pathways: Enhanced English and French Immersion.
Phase out Middle French Immersion: The last cohort of students would enter Grade 4 as of September 2026 and complete Grade 8 by the end of 2030 to 2031 school year. Most students will remain at their current school locations during the phase-out period, however, there will be situations where it is necessary to relocate a program as part of the broader school configuration changes.
Phase out of the Alternative Programs: The last cohort of students starting in September 2025 will complete Grade 6 at the end of the 2032 to 2033 with those opting to continue to Grade 8 at Sumit Alternative finishing at the end of the 2034 to 2035 year. Effective September 2026, the four grade K-6 schools and the one grade 7-8 school would begin to transition to community schools. Current attendance boundaries for Alternative will remain in place during the phase-out period, although it may become necessary to look at consolidation or relocation options in future years based on enrollment trends over time.
Phase out Specialized Program Classes: A key concern identified is the potential difficulty students will face without sufficient support within the standard classroom settings. In response to community feedback and current budgetary constraints, the initial proposal has been revised phase 26 classes versus 116 classes.
Community Schools and School Configurations: The initial proposed plan generated considerable feedback from parents and guardians, caregivers and community members. As a result, staff have revised the proposed plan, including fewer schools with Grades K to 3 or Grades 4 to 8 grade configurations. For a full list of revisions, please refer to Appendix A.
Grandparenting: A process will be established in the coming weeks to allow parents and caregivers to submit requests for exceptions that would, for instance, allow their children to remain at their current school based on specific circumstances, such as sibling considerations, notwithstanding the revised attendance boundaries.
Childcare: In anticipation of potential boundary and grade configuration changes resulting from the review, a comprehensive transitional plan is being developed. This will involve consultation with the City of Ottawa's Systems Services Manager, a thorough assessment of the impacts on the District’s existing Extended Day programs and third-party providers, outreach to local recreational organizations, and the preparation of needs assessment surveys for school communities that may experience changes in their current or future programming. In addition, the District is exploring innovative partnerships and a wider range of programming options to best support families during this period of change.
Student Movement: Approximately 1,500 more students than normal may be required to move schools due to the proposed changes. It is important to balance this one-time move against the numerous benefits of achieving a more equitable and accessible school system.
Transportation: The proposed changes to boundaries and grade configurations have been shared with representatives of the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority, and discussions will be ongoing to support the considerable work that will be required to accommodate them. The implementation of the recommendations contained in the June 2024 Transportation Consortium Review prepared by Deloitte on behalf of the Ministry of Education, may also provide opportunities to make these changes, resulting in overall improved efficiencies in student transportation.
Site-based Renovations: Where renovations may be required to support a new grade configuration, for example, they will be prioritized and included in the annual capital plan developed by Facilities. The number of renovations that will be required is lower than the initial proposal.
During the meeting, staff asked questions that addressed previous questions that have been posed to me by the community:
Question (timestamp: 41:45): Can you please provide more information on grandparenting and how it will be handled in the review?
Answer: Through the revised report, we have addressed grandparenting and phased approaches from students. From a planning perspective, we do have room to look at grandparenting across the District. A process will be developed to identify what families are looking for in grandparenting and what school they would be looking to grandparenting into different schools. Due to the extent of change, a blank statement of grandparenting is not possible. By the end of the school year staff will communicate an extensive process and timeline for how to apply for grandparenting.
Question (timestamp: 47:43): Are students able to stay in the school they are currently in with a cross-boundary transfer.
Answer: We have accounted for those students, and should there be a program for them, those students can stay at that school at least at the end of the grade configuration of that school.
During the meeting, I asked staff the following questions (timestamp: 3:05:20):
Question: If families currently have childcare, will their spot be maintained regardless of whether their boundary changes or not?
Answer: It depends on a case-by-case basis on where their other school is and what that boundary looks like. If it is a school in our district, then yes, they would get priority.
Question: If families are currently on the waitlist for childcare, will their spot on the waitlist be maintained, regardless of if their boundary changed or not?
Answer: It depends on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that there are only 6 schools that do not offer childcare.
Question: How will the District monitor the impact of these changes, and what indicators will be used to track any challenges or successes? Will this tracking be shared with the community?
Answer: A quarterly report will be presented to the Board of Trustee as a matter for information. Beyond that, this work is done every year in the District and the normal reporting process will be used.
Question: Will there be regular opportunities for parents to voice their concerns or provide feedback as the proposed changes are implemented?
Answer: It is important to return to stability at this time. Once the outcome of this Elementary Program Review is determined, we will be asking our school sites to take the lead in helping to stabilize their sites. It will be handled at a site based level.
Please note, that the opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect an official position of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board or the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board of Trustees. Please note answers from staff are paraphrased, the recording can be found here if you would like to watch the entire meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact form here.
Key links
Video for the Committee of the Whole Meeting on April 8, 2025
Agenda for the Committee of the Whole Meeting on April 8, 2025
Notice of Motion on Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate
Report 25-022, Comprehensive Report on the Elementary Program Review: Revised Proposal related to Program Model and Support for Students, Attendance Boundaries and Grade Configurations
Appendix A, Revised Program Model and Support for Students, Attendance Boundaries and Grade Configurations
Appendix B, Consultation Report
