What the Focus of the School Board Should Be

I recently passed on these additional observations with respect to Rideau High School to community members. It was suggested that they may be of value to the discussion.

Everyone

I felt a need to put some additional thoughts in writing. I trust you do not mind that I share them with you and that they add value to the discussion.

As many of you may know, I am very concerned about what I consider to be the very loose transfer policy of the ocdsb. Personally, I went to school in Toronto, and I raised my children in Kingston, Ontario. I had never previously witnessed such an easy transfer procedure. The way I see things, in Ottawa it is now an accepted practice for parents to shop for schools for their children, basing their decision on what they "hear" is the best school for their child to go to. Essentially, it allows parents (primarily, I believe, those with more resources), to distance themselves from the notion of community when it comes to their child's education.

Putting aside for a moment my concerns about the policy itself, I believe the school board should be very concerned about the perception of schools that these families have. The board should be aware of what these perceptions are. To ascertain these perceptions, the public should be surveyed by the board so that they really do know what the perception is. They need to know what school is "perceived" as no 1, down to what school is "perceived" to be at the bottom. Then, the board needs to compare this with the reality of how well schools are providing for the students in their respective catchment areas.

If perception matches reality, they need to develop an action plan, and execute it, to address what is wrong with the schools needing help. (I can only hope that they are doing this now. I'm a newcomer to this discussion and am not knowledgeable in this area.) To the extent that the perception does not fit the reality, the board needs to take action to address these mis perceptions.

To those who might suggest that this is beyond the board's purview, I believe that it was the liberal transfer policy that opened the door to the "shopping" in the first place. It is a policy that undoubtedly favours those with greater financial resources as they can better afford the added travel burdens. It has encouraged a downward spiraling "ghettoizing" of our schools that feeds on itself. It also encourages an elitist "I'm better than you are" attitude which I see as very troubling. Long before it got to this juncture, the board should have been aware of whether or not there were any community mis perceptions and addressing them with facts.

Every child should genuinely feel pride when they respond to the question "What school do you go to?" Any school board should be very concerned and take effective action whenever this is not the case.

I was very impressed with Rideau High School upon visiting it. It very effectively responds to the needs of its community. Given the chance it could do much more. This school has much to be proud of and the board should be doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to assist Rideau in proclaiming this from the rooftops to encourage this sense of pride.

Rideau High School has a lot to teach other schools about developing a respectful and accepting school environment. I heard a lot of pride about this sense of community when I listened to the students over the brief time I have come to know them in the past month. They deserve the opportunity to feel this respect from the community at large. To be frank, I think that those community members who "look down on" Rideau, should be ashamed of themselves. To me, Rideau is a place that shines, and we need to make sure that Ottawa knows this.

Let me know if there is ever a way that I can help in this endeavour. I'll be there.

Regards,
Leonard

My Presentation to the Ottawa-Carelton District School Board - November 25, 2009

Good evening and thank you for providing the opportunity to speak to you this evening on the matter of the possible closure of Rideau High School. I have been a resident of Overbrook since 1998. I have been an active volunteer in my community, serving on the board of the Overbrook-Forbes Community Resource Centre since 2001. Currently I am the chairperson of the Steering Committee of the No Community Left Behind Project. This is an initiative of the City of Ottawa that strives to develop a collaborative approach to community building. It was first implemented in the Banff-Ledbury community, and its success is well documented. The area of Overbrook West McArthur was subsequently identified through extensive research as one of four neighbourhoods most in need of this new approach.

It is my intention this evening to shine a light on a serious problem, and then redirect that light toward solutions.

Lets review some facts. The statistics are sobering. Rideau High School has by far the highest school age population within its area with almost 8,000 students, yet the lowest number of students in attendance. Conversely, Colonel By, with the lowest school age population of only 1,800 students, is above capacity with over 1,000 students, attracting them from far and wide. Most disturbingly, the median household income of Rideau families, at about $45,000, is less than half the roughly $103,000 median income of Colonel By families. The bottom line is that the richest area has the most attractive school.

It is the saddest thing that the most economically disadvantaged area has, in the eyes of many of its residents, the least attractive school. They are choosing to go elsewhere. If residents consistently choose schools outside their area, I believe the board should be asking “Why?”, and implementing measures to stop the hollowing out of a school. Instead, you are contemplating its closure.

I am particularly concerned that you would take such a decision in advance of your expected review of your very liberal school transfer policy, which I believe is overdue. Given that Rideau has by far the highest number of students in its catchment area, does it make sense to close this school in advance of this important review? I think not.

For a community identified as being most in need of capacity building the closure of its school must not happen. It would be beyond cruel. It is not unreasonable for residents of every community to expect a school board to provide attractive local schools, especially when the population base is there to sustain it. It is inspiring that the 1,800 school age children in the Colonel By catchment area have an attractive school. I was impressed by their presentations. They can be justifiably proud. It begs the question though: “Why can't the almost 8,000 students and their families in the Rideau area have something that is equally attractive to them?” Secondly, and, most importantly, “What do we need to do to make this happen?”

Let’s now refocus this light on solutions. As noted above, the City of Ottawa has identified this community as in need of capacity building. It is targeting resources and developing strong partnerships in this effort. Participants include the Boys & Girls Club, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Housing, and many others. They have recognized a problem and are working together to foster a healthy community. To lose our school, which is part of our heartbeat, at this critical juncture, would be devastating. We need the school board to be a part of this collaborative process. As chair of the Steering Committee that is leading this effort to rejuvenate our community I personally will do what it takes to connect you with the decision makers involved in this process.

Find out how you can be a part of creating not only an attractive school for almost 8,000 students and their families in the Rideau area but learn how you can participate in the partnership that is working toward a healthy and vibrant Ottawa where truly, No Community Is Left Behind. Together, we can make it happen. Thank you.

Rideau High School is MY High School

Until about a month ago, I had never visited Rideau High School. It is my local neighbourhood high school, about a 2 kilometer walk from my home. I had never been within its walls because my children had left the public school system by the time I move to this part of Ottawa. School matters, I guess, from my perspective, were for others to be concerned with.

How my views have changed. I owe a debt of gratitude to my neighbour, Chris Ellis, who recently invited my participation in efforts to lobby the school board to not close this local school. If he had not invited me, I would have missed an opportunity to meet some very fine and engaged young people and many others who live near me who are very concerned about the possibility that this local school may close. To learn more about these efforts, visit Chris's website.