Parents aim to rally for OCDSB's alternative schools

Parents of children who attend alternative schools are putting their heads together to try to save the program.

As part of a proposed restructuring, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's trustees could soon vote to eliminate all five of its alternative schools. Many parents say the schools focus on individual learning needs in ways regular community schools do not.

At an OCDSB Alternative Schools Advisory Committee meeting Monday night, community members and parents shared their thoughts on the plan in an online forum. 

Emily Addison, a parent and co-chair of the committee, was among parents who voiced frustration over the process. 

She said parents believe OCDSB administrators had already decided that alternative schools would be cut before hosting consultations, based on a radio interview the board's director of education, Pino Buffone, gave to CBC on Monday morning. 

"What, therefore, is the point of having community consultations if there's not opportunities for a plan to be altered or changed?" she asked.

Disagreement over value

On Monday, Buffone told CBC's Ottawa Morning that the alternative school program was being cut because it hasn't been "adding value enough."

"Our students in the alternative program, on balance, each and every year perform under the district average," he said. 

Ottawa Morning12:18OCDSB plans to cut alternative schools

As part of their program review, Ottawa’s largest English school board is proposing to eliminate its five alternative schools, and to turn them into community schools instead. We hear from a grade 9 student who attended two alternative schools, and then from OCDSB’s director of education, Pino Buffone.

Students in alternative schools did perform under the district average on the provincial assessment test (EQAO) in Grade 3 and Grade 6, and on report cards in the last three years, according to an OCDSB report released last fall. The report shows students in regular English programs also performed below average.

Between the regular and alternative programs, alternative students outperformed regular students by between two and eight per cent, in every EQAO subject except Jr-Math. The elementary and middle school French immersion programs performed above district average on the EQAO and report cards in the same time frames. 

In the radio interview, Buffone also cited "chronic absenteeism" among alternative students. The OCDSB defines absenteeism as a student missing 10 per cent or more of class days.

The report shows that rates of chronic absenteeism were "higher" in both alternative and regular programs, and "lower" in French immersion programs.

Despite this, Buffone said the board determined alternative programs weren't adding enough value to justify expenses like transporting kids from their home neighbourhoods.

"We're not seeing the return on achievement and well-being that I think is aspired to," he said, adding that the savings could be returned to classrooms. He said they expect $1 million per year in transportation savings — the equivalent of 20 support staff.

Sarah Boardman, a parent of a child at an alternative school, emailed CBC and the school board about several of Buffone's statements. She felt the board's director misrepresented the impact alternative school programs have had on kids — complaints echoed by parents in the meeting.

Boardman feared any savings might only be temporary, should the Ministry of Education reduce future funding for the school board if it doesn't utilize all of the funding it receives for transportation.

The Ministry's funding framework allocates funding based on expenditures reported by school boards.

Getting voices out

One student of an alternative school, Miles White, joined his mother, Jenn Wallner, at the meeting Monday to voice his disappointment at the prospect of losing his school.

He said in the public school system "you're basically just forced to stay still and listen. While alternative schools give you a much wider variety of choices, and teachers have a much different way of teaching."

Webb thanked him for sharing.

"How do we get Miles's voice out, and others' [voices]?" Webb asked. 

Some parents said they have been writing letters, posting to social media, and collecting videos of the students sharing their stories. Laura MacKenzie suggested parents show up to a meeting on Wednesday, when the OCDSB board will be hearing from delegations.

"I'm bringing my kid, I'm bringing my partner," she said. "A lot of us need to be there. ... We need to tell our stories about why it's important to us."

Amy Hannah, the superintendent of education for OCDSB, told the advisory committee that the board of trustees will hear from delegations again on March 19 and that a decision is expected by the end of April.