The information before you is a very concerning situation in Oakville that is skewing our neighbourhood school numbers so that what would otherwise be a healthy populated school, is decreased by offering an optional program in a separate school.  What once might have seemed like a great idea by amalgamating this students under one roof, is now backfiring and causing great grief for communities all over Oakville.
            The HDSB is refusing to put a cap on French Immersion in dual track schools, which would maintain healthy balanced schools, or create additional dual track schools to meet the demand for FI.  Instead they ‘take over’ a school, avert a PARC by creating boundaries for the two tracks that will only equate to failure for English Track students, and then quietly remove the ET.  Not only does this increase HDSB bussing costs, it is unethical how they are creating this two tier system before parents really have a chance to know what is going on and stop it.
            Ward 4 has had enough of it.  The three schools south of Upper Middle are all above 70% capacity, despite Ecole Forest Trail removing hundreds of potential students from our schools and yet, we need to make more space for French Immersion Students?  Many parents would like the focus to be on some other programming concerns we have that are not optional programs, such as the shortage of spaces for Special Education need students, lower the Gifted Program’s psycho-education acceptance level and allow more students access to a challenging curriculum, improve core French by starting it in earlier grades and focus on literacy initiative to improve all students EQAO scores.  Dual Track schools with FI caps and lotteries can make all of this happen.   Why must the English Track and mandated programs suffer for this optional choice?  I can answer that, money.  The additional funding the Board receives for each FI student, they need.  But at what cost to all the their students?  The plan is failing and it is time to turn the bus around.
            Please take the time to read what is attached and the letter below from Pilgrim Wood’s School Council.  We are about to participate in a Public Consultation Process, which started as a process to review “accommodation and programming “ in Ward 4, to now one that is reviewing “boundaries” in our Ward.  This motion to change to process was made by our own trustee, Kathryn Bateman Olmstead, and approved by all trustees on August 27th, 2008 at the HDSB meeting.
 
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
 
Lesley Dalgarno
President of Pilgrim Wood Home and School Association

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