Low school enrolment may cause boundary changes
Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Some parents in the southeast corner of the urban area of Uxbridge are expressing concern over the Durham District School Board's (DDSB) proposal to change the boundaries of Uxbridge Public School's in-take area. The board is reviewing the boundaries because of falling enrolment at the school. Currently operating as a French immersion school, UPS has seen student numbers fall over recent years, with the school reportedly currently operating at 65 per cent of its capacity. The board says under enrolment can affect long-term programming, staffing and the range of extracurricular opportunities available to students.
Depending on the recommendations resulting from the board's boundary review, some children currently attending Joseph Gould Public School could be assigned to UPS next year. The DDSB review is exploring changes that would expand programming at the school and adjust school boundaries accordingly.
Photo by Note Thanun
The DDSB says no decisions have yet been made regarding a change to the boundaries because it wants to hear from parents at an open house meeting at UPS on Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. A virtual public webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, also at 7 p.m. Registration is required. An online survey is also available, and will be open until 5 p.m. on May 7.
The proposals put forward so far would see UPS become a dual-track school, meaning a combination of French immersion and English language instruction, and introduce kindergarten classes at UPS. If the proposed changes are approved by school trustees, Junior and Senior Kindergarten would be introduced in September of this year and full regular track programming for Grades 1–8 would be implemented in September 2027.
Another proposal by DDSB would expand the geographic area eligible to attend French immersion at UPS into north Pickering.
Uxbridge school board trustee Carolyn Morton said the study is being driven by senior staff at the school board, but it will eventually be the trustees who make the decision on the boundaries. Morton said the board thinks UPS needs to grow because enrolment is down and the board wants to see more enrolment in kindergarten and in French immersion. She said she has heard from "countless" parents about the proposed boundary changes. "Many feel strongly about it, one way or the other," she said. Morton added that the effect on school bussing is "definitely" under consideration.
She said the boundary study by the board will continue until May, with the study's results made known to the board at its June meeting and recommendations made. That's when the trustees will decide what option to go with.
A number of residents took to Facebook over the weekend to express concerns, particularly those who reside on the south side of Reach Street. Under the proposed boundary change, children who now attend Joseph Gould would have to go UPS instead. More than a couple called the proposed boundary change "ridiculous."
Information regarding the proposed changes, as well as access to the online survey, can be found on the DDSB website at ddsb.ca under Boundary Review Consultations.