Here's our response to that updated document (that only tells the story they want to tell):
There has been a lot of news coverage on the removal of FDK from Pineland Public School lately. To counter that, HDSB re-released an updated version of their ERA 103 – Pineland PS, Frontenac PS, Mohawk Gardens PS Boundary Review Questions and Answers. Here's our response to that updated document (that only tells the story they want to tell):
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You may not be aware that HDSB's recommendation was to keep the Kindergarten program at schools like Pineland - dual track schools with low English enrolments. You see, a steering committee was established in 2012 to find some strategic directions in French programs. In March of 2013 former Associate Director, Jeff Blackwell, issued an interim report [Report 13044] to provide an overview of processes and work to-date and the issues and opportunities being studied by the Halton District School Board French Second Language Programs steering committee and work teams. This report indicated that they not only considered but recommended a third delivery model of French Immersion --> Single track French Immersion with JK-SK [see below] As part of the French as a Second Language Program Study Strategic Directions presentation in May of 2013, keeping Kindergarten after the phase out of English was an option/recommendation "The dual track school would eventually become a single track French Immersion school with an English Kindergarten". [slide #16] Also in May 2013, the steering committee's final recommendations were made to the public at four meetings throughout Halton. These recommendations once again included keeping the Kindergarten program after the phase out of English "The dual track school would eventually become a single track French Immersion school with an English Kindergarten". [see below] More information on the old FSL study can be found here: http://www.hdsb.ca/Programs/Pages/FrenchLanguageStudy.aspx
From: David Euale [mailto:[email protected]] Just so we're clear (and the new trustees understand), you set the minimum number of JK registrants at 15 for a school that is well known for such low English numbers that you felt the only solution to those low numbers was to remove the English track altogether, correct? A school that had, as the attached chart [from a 2009 delegation] so brilliantly illustrates, far fewer than 15 or even 12 in English track primary grades for the last decade yet all of a sudden you set the program minimum number of children at 15:
We don't know the last time 15 children in an English class at Pineland existed in the primary grades, yet this board decided that the minimum must be something that hasn't been attainable. In fact, in 2008 when this data was compiled there was also the following class breakdowns:
Also, you only would allow registrants in the English track boundary of Pineland, a boundary that is 6x smaller than that of the French Immersion boundary. Correct? We understand the board has made their decision and that decision has been implemented. We hope YOU understand that the board's decision was not made in good faith and that we and others will continue to work for the return of the English track and FDK because we believe in neighbourhood schools that welcome all. We believe in inclusion. We believe our school board should be open and transparent with every taxpayer, not just those with children. We believe English school boards should offer English at each and every school. We believe you need to take a serious look at how uncontrolled optional programming like French Immersion has and is continuing to damage our communities. Those 12 kids matter. Respectfully, HFFINS Here's the notice that HDSB ran regarding the deadline for JK at Pineland...buried on page 16 of the Burlington Post a mere three days before the deadline -- the one and only day it ran. The notice does not indicate in any way that 15 children are needed nor does it indicate that without those 15 children, the program will cease to exist. It's merely a reminder. This means, the public was not getting the full story behind the notice -- no transparency. Had there been 100% transparency the notice in the paper would have gone in a minimum of 3x -- in December immediately following the vote, in January and a final push in February and the notice would have indicated the number of children required and the reason they were required, e.g., the program will cease to exist without the 15 kids registered. HDSB would also have tweeted it and put it on the home page, front and centre as NEWS (you know, the way the it was just done with the news of Director Euale's August retirement)... To deny the existing 12 kids entry into their home school is absurd and discriminatory. A class of 12 is absolutely enough to run a JK class, considering small English split classes are going on all around Halton in our dual track schools. For instance, as just one example in 2013 there was a grade one/grade two split of 11 kids at EW Foster in Milton (see attached). Why is 11 kids spread over two grades deemed sufficient (though far from ideal) at that school, but 12 kids in one grade at Pineland is not? Is it because the English track is more valued by the Milton trustees and there has been a concerted effort to "save" English track there? We certainly have our opinion, but we'd like to know your reasons. No transparency, random numbers, and inconsistent procedures on your part equals children who are not welcome at their home school. This is shameful. We respectfully remind you of these quotes from the 2013 document School Boards Matter, Report of the Pan-Canadian Study of School District Governance: "The observation that many school districts and trustees are underutilizing emerging information and communications technologies signals a need for boards to become more proactive and innovative in connecting with schools and the community." We had JUST finished expressing our frustration at the unacceptable and inadequate communication by HDSB on the issue of Pineland's JK extended deadline, when first thing on the morning of Tuesday, February 17th the following letter was issued to the parents of Pineland Public School. We were not the only ones who were outraged by the indignity of this: Some of the comments we received on our Facebook page after we posted this letter:
One of our members was so incensed by the speed at which this letter from the board was dispatched that she in turn wrote a letter addressing the situation. HFFINS was included in the correspondence: Dear Director and Secretary of the Board, HDSB Director, David Euale responded: I have reviewed the communcations on the Pineland issue and find it to be above and beyond our normal procedures for boundary reviews. Please see the list below: Again she responded to the Director and so did HFFINS, point-by-point: Dear Director and Secretary of the Board, Dear Director and Secretary of the Board, Please read our comments in red. Respectfully, HFFINS On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 6:55 PM, David Euale <[email protected]> wrote: I have reviewed the communcations on the Pineland issue and find it to be above and beyond our normal procedures for boundary reviews Then the "normal procedures" need to change. We remind you "School board trustees have a responsibility to all the families in their community – not just their neighbours, and not just families with school-aged children." With the decision to remove English and FDK, the taxpayers of Halton should have been widely notified. Please see the list below: - Created a banner to advertise to the Pineland broader community who might not have been aware of the deadline extension - myopic in scope -- were real estate agents notified to let potential buyers know? - Home Notification was sent home in early January to all Pineland families (attached) myopic in scope -- only captures Pineland families - Information Flyer was created (attached) and has been distributed to families who have inquired about kindergarten at Pineland people without children in the school system are not dialed into school registration deadlines and need more time to be notified - when was this flyer distributed? - Updated information about the Pineland JK deadline has been posted on the Bd website (see link: http://www.hdsb.ca/aboutus/Planning/Reviews/Pages/ERA103BoundaryReview2014.aspx) - Information posted on Pineland PS website home page the removal of FDK and English from a school within an English School Board is MAJOR NEWS and should therefore be one of the first things any visitor to the HDSB website sees. Where it is posted now, a visitor needs to click on 3 different pages to find the information, which does follow the 3-click rule, but you are assuming a new parent would know what they are looking for. A new parent would start by looking under the "PARENT INFO" or "PROGRAMS and SERVICES" tab or search "KINDERGARTEN" in the search box. Someone without children in the school system would never look under HDSB Departments nor would they be aware that "boundary reviews" could mean NO KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM! This is not a user-friendly website -- information is not easily accessible. - An Ad was posted in the local papers, advertising the Pineland JK registration deadline, on Februrary 12/13th. This is incredibly offensive that you actually think that the Thursday before the long weekend of Family Day and the Sunday deadline was sufficient notice to the non-Pineland community. Above and beyond the communications initiated by the Board, there was also an extensive article in the Burlington Post on Feb. 6th (by Tim Whitnell) on the possible extension to the phase-out of Pineland Kindergarten. Because on the 3rd of February WE, a network of concerned parents from Burlington, Oakville and Milton, asked the Burlington Post to let the community know - NOT the school board (see attached). There has been door knocking, emailing, calling, etc. trying to get the word out because HDSB failed to do so effectively. HDSB could have done so much more to let the taxpayers know, as is your obligation. Instead, the bare minimum was done which keeps people in the dark, where you seem to like them. And then first thing on February 17th there is an official letter from HDSB stating not enough children signed up and therefore JK is no more at Pineland. We hope one day when you reflect on how this was handled, you will see the errors and missteps and realize that this was not done openly and honestly and with dignity. We hope you see that random, artificial boundaries that you create and ridiculously short deadlines do not build better communities. Lastly, this is the ad that apparently went in the paper last week. We say apparently because we are awaiting confirmation from The Burlington Post as to when it ran and where it was in the paper. However, this ad in NO WAY indicates that the Junior Kindergarten program will cease to exist if 15 children are not registered by the deadline date of February 15th!!!! Once again, a complete and utter lack of transparency...
February 7, 2015 If you didn't hear that Halton District School Board has decided to remove English and Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) from Pineland Public School from our blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed, you most likely wouldn't know it was happening because HDSB is and has been a colossal failure at transparency and notifying the community of MAJOR changes like this one. Since the December 2014 trustee vote (for a one-year extension to FDK if a minimum of 15 students register for the Junior Kindergarten program at Pineland by February 15, 2015) not one notice went in the paper, not a single tweet by HDSB mentioned this news or deadline, and it was nowhere to be found on the HDSB website's homepage under "Newsroom", a section for news releases. This is unacceptable and a flagrant disregard for the community. Do they not have an obligation to all taxpayers to properly communicate with us what they are doing, particularly if it is a massive change to our neighbourhoods? Who needed to know about this sign up deadline for JK? Parents whose children are not even in the system!!! How would parents without children in the school system know about this Feb 15th deadline? They wouldn't. They don't. How would those planning on moving to this area of Burlington know anything about this deadline either? They wouldn't. They don't. Did HDSB convey this to real estate agents in the area so they could properly notify potential buyers? No, they did not. In fact, up until very recently there was still a "NEW! FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN IS HERE!" sign at Pineland even AFTER the vote came down to remove FDK and the English track from the school. We asked others in the community if they could notify taxpayers because HDSB had failed to do so: and they did - which is 100% more than HDSB has done. Here is the Burlington Post article dated February 6th and below is an email that was sent by Burlington Councillor, Paul Sharman, on February 4th with the subject line Urgent! Pineland Public School Kindergarten Students maybe closed! Additionally, there was this Letter to the Editor on February 12th which highlighted HDSB's lack of information to the public and inadequate information. Still, no messaging from HDSB whatsoever regarding the February 15th deadline to register for JK at Pineland -- a deadline that fell on this long weekend known as Family Day. Oh, the irony!
The story about Pineland Public School that no one really knew about because people have been busy with the start of a new school year [and councils aren't formed yet - see previous blog post], just got bigger. The vote is scheduled to happen at tonight's board meeting at 7:00 pm and up until last night, there was not much talk about it outside of HFFINS and some Pineland parents (who knew about it). All that changed with the publishing of this article below by Kristin Rushowy, Education Reporter with the Toronto Star... Burlington parents upset with boundary change and loss of full-day kindergarten Some of the highlights of the article: "The community has been fighting for a decade to keep English,” said mother Corinne Moore,... “You talk to parents in the neighbourhood with older kids, and they say, ‘We fought every year.’ They went to every board meeting to fight for this. They are just done. Yes, several folks have delegated to the board over the years referencing the dangerous numbers at some of HDSB's dual track schools, Pineland being one of them. This table from a 2009 delegation has often been used as an example of the dangers of not enforcing balance in dual track schools when pleading for policy that would protect the English track. Those pleas always fell, and continue to fall, on deaf ears. The Halton District School Board already has five French Immersion-only elementary schools out of a total of 84 — all of them in Oakville. By comparison, the Toronto District School Board, the country’s largest, has four French-only schools out of 461. This is egregious and perfectly displays how personal agendas from trustees have driven policy. We have had a steady stream of trustees pushing their vision of single track French Immersion to the detriment of everything else. Pushing agendas has created for Halton costly boundary reviews, financial and emotional, and the marginalization of what this English board is mandated to provide. Demand for French Immersion is driving programming, though parents say boundaries for the current French program at Pineland are much larger than the English catchment area, which has led to the imbalance. The yellow, green and purple all make up the boundary for French Immersion at Pineland Public School. Again, the board likes to say that what is driving the demand for French Immersion is parents but many things have led us to where we are now -- and very little of it has to do with parents [see our previous blog post]. This board is largely responsible for the mismanagement of this optional program, from the Directors to certain trustees. “This is tearing up our neighbourhood,” she said. “We want the kids in the neighbourhood to go to the same school. If you go down our street, there are so many people who have opted for the Catholic school to avoid these issues. Others have opted for private school. This is what the Director and certain trustees don't get -- when you aren't Catholic or don't have the funds for private school you can't avoid these issues because you have no other options. This adds to the further marginalization of our English track children and families and does zero to quell the elite status of French Immersion. This is our two-tier education system in Halton.
Toward the end of the school year, June 18, 2014, the board voted to defeat the Director's recommendation that would alter this neighbourhood school forever. The community had rallied, folks felt listened to, heard. The trustees opted to increase the scope of the boundary review, regroup and vote on recommendations by March 2015. So, people went off to enjoy their summer vacations knowing that their school wasn't imminently in danger anymore. They left knowing there was more time to really come up with some better solutions. There was no tweet sent out about this decision that was made on June 18th. However, a tweet was sent on July 3rd. It didn't really provide much info in the tweet without clicking on the link. It then brought you to the HDSB website and details of the 'altered' Motion. Wait, what? How? Why? The Pineland community was on summer break!! How were they informed of this switch? How were the tax payers notified of this? Fast forward to a new school year at Pineland with a newly implemented FDK program! The following email went out to Pineland parents September 12th. They informed the school community of this change 2.5 weeks before it is to happen and before school council is even formed (which is usually around the first week of October). They're told the date of the scheduled vote to remove English and the newly implement FDK is October 1st. From: "HDSB" The deadline to delegate was yesterday, September 23rd --> that's 11 days from notification to having to learn what the process is to formally address the board, write something, and submitting to have it approved by them. Below are the tweets from HDSB -- in no way have they indicated to the greater community (e.g. the tax payers) or the 6,653 Twitter followers they have, that they intend to remove programming from this neighbourhood. This neighbourhood already lost its original walk-to school, W.E. Breckon in 2003, and now our school board wants to kick them again and take away their second walk-to school! No notification of this underhanded plan kept the community in the dark and vulnerable. If there is no knowledge, they cannot galvanize. Oddly enough, they did tweet about a Burlington Post article that mentions Pineland is one of the last schools to implement FDK...while simultaneously (and quietly) recommending to remove it and turn the school into an exclusive single track FI school. As of writing this post, they have yet to mention that they plan to vote on removal of English and FDK in just over one week. But they did offer up a reminder about this: A school board is a body that operates the province’s publicly funded schools. The school board is governed by its publicly elected board members (trustees). HDSB trustees voting to remove FDK |
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