Latest news with #PinoBuffone
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ottawa-Carleton board approves French immersion and English in most schools
Starting in September, all but a handful of schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will offer both English and French immersion streams, and the board will begin slowly phasing out its alternative program. The English public board will also retire a long-standing program that allowed students to start French immersion in Grade 4, known as middle French immersion. Instead, all children leaving bilingual kindergarten will soon be allowed to take the English program or choose to start French immersion at the beginning of either Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3. Director of Education Pino Buffone said streamlining four elementary school programs down to two was necessary, and a project the board has known it needed to tackle for more than a decade. The board wanted to resolve inequities by providing the same programs in all schools — and market itself as one of the only boards to offer French immersion so widely — but the organization was also spread thin, he said. "In essence, for every additional program that we offer, there are inefficiencies that are created from staffing through to transportation," Buffone told trustees at a meeting Tuesday night. Trustees approved this overhaul of elementary programs in a final 9 to 3 vote. It was the culmination of earlier debates and reports that began in April 2024 — and many of the most controversial proposals had been walked back in recent months. For instance, board staff had to rework maps of school catchment areas after thousands of parents wrote in and held protests in March. Then, more than three dozen special classes for children with complex needs were also maintained after families said their children would not be well supported in mainstream classrooms. Attempt to study alternative schools As the many rounds of reports and consultations led to changes, worries eased for many families. By the final board meeting, it was mainly those who held out hope of saving the alternative program who watched the final vote from the public gallery at the board office on Greenbank Road. Wearing purple T-shirts, they knew their own children would be able to complete the program over the coming years, but wanted future children to have the option. They had a champion in trustee Amanda Presley, who experienced the alternative program herself and has a child currently enrolled. Presley tried to amend the recommendations and get staff to produce a report by fall of 2027. "It does not entrench the alternative program forever, but it keeps the door open long enough for us to rigorously evaluate, consult, and design a future with all the facts and voices at the table," Presley pitched. "Don't throw away a good thing," agreed trustee Justine Bell, who asked colleagues to show the community they had heard the many stories of how children's lives were changed by a program that offers a different way of learning. Bell added her own story, saying that finding community in an alternative program changed her life when she was a struggling 14-year-old. The majority of trustees didn't agree to debate sending staff away to produce the report, however. Even Suzanne Nash, whose zone has three of the five alternative schools, said many of the tenets of the alternative program can now be found in all schools. Rather than showcase innovative forms of learning, alternative schools often serve children with needs that haven't been met in the mainstream system, and it takes a toll on educators, Nash said. "The alternative model, what was envisioned back in the 1980s, is not what is we see today," she said. For his part, Buffone laid out that staff had already done multiple studies over many years. Those have shown that students in the alternative program are chronically absent and don't earn the same number of high school credits as their peers after leaving the program, he said. Meanwhile, teachers have under-capacity classrooms and the board pays $1.2 million per year to transport students to the five alternative schools, he said. English-only schools In addition to Presley, trustees Nili Kaplan-Myrth and Lyra Evans voted against the elementary program review. Evans says in a city like Ottawa, French is in demand and lauded the board for being willing to dual track almost all schools. But both Evans and Kaplan-Myrth maintain that the board is failing students by leaving just five elementary schools English-only. Four of those are located in areas where families have lower incomes or are new Canadians. "To have gotten 95 per cent of the way there and said, 'We're going to not provide French education in certain schools, and the schools that we have picked are ones in low-income neighbourhoods,' really misses the equity mark in my eyes," Evans told other trustees. Kaplan-Myrth worried those schools will be slated for closure should the Ontario government lift its moratorium on closures and mergers. Buffone said staff aimed to dual track every school but knew it might fall slightly short. On the whole, however, he said he was pleased with the vote because the board could now move ahead. It comes during a month when PriceWaterhouseCoopers has been assigned by the Ontario government to investigate the OCDSB's finances and look into why it has been posting deficits for four years. "This decision will signal to our financial investigators that the board is looking at ongoing structural deficits," Buffone told CBC News. The following trustees voted in favour of the elementary program review: Suzanne Nash, Cathryne Milburn, Donna Dickson, Matthew Lee, Julia Fortey, Jennifer Jennekens, Justine Bell, Donna Blackburn and Lynn Scott.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
What you need to know ahead of the OCDSB's final vote on its elementary review
Social Sharing Trustees on the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) will take a final vote Tuesday evening on a controversial overhaul of elementary programs that has been years in the making. Leading into that meeting, the plan remains to phase out alternative schools and middle French immersion, while aiming to dual-track more schools — though not all — to provide both English and French immersion. Many aspects of the plan have shifted significantly in the months since details were made public. That's in large part due to the more than 12,000 people who have weighed in since the beginning of the year. Here's a guide to help you get up to speed. Why is the OCDSB doing this revamp? Director of education Pino Buffone says an overhaul of elementary programs was a priority on his desk in 2010 when he became a superintendent. Board chair Lynn Scott, who has been a trustee for 30 years, said past boards have made attempts, and she hopes this time it will finally get done. The issues date back to the late 1990s when the Ottawa and Carleton boards merged and the OCDSB inherited schools with a variety of grade configurations and offerings. The big goal, Buffone says, is to now give all students access to the same programs in their community school. In essence, that means aiming to dual-track schools to offer both French immersion and English, while phasing out middle French immersion and alternative schools. Specifically, the board wanted to bring French immersion to 15 single-track English schools to correct socio-economic inequities. The board's data shows its English program teaches a disproportionate number of children from low-income households whose first language isn't English, or who have special education needs. In addition to resolving inequities, the director of education has also said the restructuring at the elementary level will allow the board to operate more efficiently. "We have plenty of data ... that we are stagnating as an organization, that we are spreading ourselves too thin, that we need to streamline our programs to two offerings, enhanced English and French immersion," Buffone told trustees at a meeting May 6. "This organization is entirely distracted from what we need to do for our students." How are school boundaries changing? In the end, changes to boundaries and grade configurations for individual schools will not be nearly as significant as originally laid out on Feb. 28. In order to put French immersion and English in each school, while maintaining enough students to have workable classrooms, staff originally laid out some situations that confounded and upset many parents. Some schools remained significantly over- or under-capacity. Some schools would have seen cohorts go to one school for junior kindergarten to Grade 3, and then move to another school for grades 4-8. When the maps were released in late February, parents pointed to siblings who would be separated, children who would have to travel to a school farther away, disruption of after-school child care, the breakup of school communities and more. Some schools with toilets for small children would be converted to middle schools with lockers. By April 3, board staff had gone back to the drawing board and removed those proposed J.K.-3 and grades 4-8 schools. In doing so, five English-only schools remained: Arch Street, Dunlop, Convent Glen, Hawthorne and North Gower/Marlborough. That frustrated trustees Nili Kaplan-Myrth and Lyra Evans, especially. They argued those able to protest and organize saw changes, yet the OCDSB was willing to leave systemic barriers in low-income areas. Evans tabled a motion May 6 to bring French immersion to English-only schools, but it failed in a 9-3 vote. Staff said doing so would mean reintroducing the contentious J.K-3 and 4-8 configurations. Not all was resolved for some parents who gave delegations on April 22, either. They worry some schools won't be able to sustain all grades of English or French immersion with the new school catchments. How does this affect special education? All specialized classes for children with complex needs will remain, despite a plan presented in January to phase out 39 of them. The OCDSB has 142 classes to meet the needs of children who have autism, need behavioural intervention, are hard of hearing, have developmental delays, are gifted and more. Board staff point out that the OCDSB offers classes other districts do not, and they do cost more. Moreover, staff point to a philosophy of including children in mainstream classes wherever possible, and meeting their needs there. Unions and parents were unconvinced children in community schools would get the educational assistants and support they need at a time of cost cutting. By early April, staff said they had listened to feedback and would keep 13 classes. Trustees vote May 6 to spare the rest. What is the future for alternative schools? Going into the final May 13 vote, the OCDSB still intends to phase out its decades-old alternative program — students who enrol this September in J.K. will be the final alternative Grade 8 graduates in the 2034-2035 school year. That's despite intense protest and lobbying to preserve those five schools for future students. At protests and delegation nights, parents described how their children enjoy going to alternative schools because of their child-centred approach in the alternative stream. They pushed back against arguments that students must be transported farther from home or don't do well on standardized tests, and instead urged the board to do a fulsome study and consultation. "This program is not a boutique option, it's a front-line equity intervention," agreed Trustee Amanda Pressley, who has personal experience in the program and a child currently enrolled. She has signalled she will seek to pause the elementary program review until further research is done on the alternative program. How is this review related to the OCDSB's deficits? Buffone says finances are not driving this reorganization, but he also says everything in some way links back to the annual budget. Indeed, in Scott's letter to the education minister at the outset of this elementary review more than a year ago, she indicated changes "would not resolve the board's funding challenges ... but they would go some way towards making more effective use of the funding we do receive." The OCDSB's finances are under provincial scrutiny. After using up reserves in the pandemic, in part by subsidizing special education when provincial grants didn't cover all costs, the district must now avoid a fifth deficit. The education minister has launched an investigation into these deficits, which could lead to a recommendation that the government temporarily take control. Buffone told trustees last week that the ministry has for years spoken to the OCDSB about its structural issues and the "impossible reality" of running four programs at the elementary level. Most other districts under the provincial funding formulas offer only English with a few French immersion schools, he noted. When will students move? Once approved, the changes are to take effect in September 2026. The board anticipates about 1,500 more students will move than in a typical school year. The board is also setting out a policy whereby parents and caregivers can apply to exempt their child so they can stay at their current school. According to a motion approved May 6, there has to be space and the grades have to remain viable at both the sending and receiving school. In the year to come, fewer renovations will be required now that the board has walked back some grade configurations, but there will still be many staff on the move and changes to transportation that must be worked out. Even after the changes take effect, the board will have to eye enrolment. If it's low in some schools, the board might need to make further changes. Finally, the elementary review is just the first of four stages. The OCDSB plans to review early years and child care, grades 9-12, and adult and continuing education in the years to come.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Trustees vote to keep OCDSB's special needs programs intact
Social Sharing A proposal to phase out several special needs programs offered by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has been voted down. At a committee of the whole meeting Tuesday night, school board trustees voted against phasing out 26 specialized classes including programs for students with learning disabilities. As a result, the proposal will not go forward when trustees conduct a final vote on a wider elementary program review next week. The school board was proposing to phase out these programs, reallocate the resources to regular classrooms and address the requirements of special needs students there. Speaking to CBC after the meeting, OCDSB director of education Pino Buffone said the vote was "clear direction" from trustees to continue supporting those specialized programs. Under the proposal, 116 other classes in the board's autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities programs would have continued. Trustee Lyra Evans was among those who voted against the recommendation to cut the special needs programs. She told CBC it's important for the OCDSB to continue supporting students with special needs. "Special education students are among our highest-need group of students. They are the group that is often least able to advocate on their own behalf and they are the group that is most likely to be struggling at the back of the classroom if there is not adequate support," Evans said. Alternative schools, boundaries to go to a final vote While the proposed changes to specialized classes were nixed, trustees approved three other recommendations as part of the elementary program review, to be discussed further when the board reconvenes next week. Those recommendations including streamlining programs to enhance English and French immersion, as well as changes to school boundaries and grade configurations — steps Buffone called "a huge step forward for the district." The recommendation to phase out the alternative school program, which place less emphasis on grades and focus more on letting students learn at their own pace, was also passed. That came as a disappointment to some parents who watched the meeting from the second floor gallery and applauded when trustees spoke out in defence of the program. Trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth said she opposed most of the recommendations, including one that would leave a small number of schools with English programming only and no option for French immersion. "I'm against the cuts to special education, I'm against the closure of alternative schools, and I'm strongly against them leaving the most disadvantaged schools without dual-track," she said, referring to schools that offer programs in both languages. "I wanted to be able to look children in the eye and my constituents in the eye and say that we made it better, that we actually addressed disparities that we've acknowledged year after year and decade after decade, and we haven't done that." Parents in OCDSB worried kids with special needs will end up with less support in the classroom 1 month ago Duration 4:32 The Ottawa-Carleton District School board is facing its fifth straight deficit and could cut educational assistants. At the same time, it's making big changes that include phasing out 39 specialized classes. Parent Laura MacKenzie told CBC she plans to continue advocating to keep the OCDSB's alternative school program running. "We believe that alternative programs and alternative schools need to exist for diverse educational choice in Ottawa," she said. Another recommendation to keep students in their current program whenever possible also passed. The recommendations that were passed Tuesday are now set to go for a final vote at special board meeting May 13.
CTV News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Ottawa's public school board begins final debate this week on elementary program review: Here's what you need to know
Ottawa's largest school board begins the final debate this week on the proposed overhaul of elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year, including changes to programs, school grade structures and boundaries. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's (OCDSB) Elementary Program Review proposes consolidating elementary school programming into Enhanced English and French Immersion, eliminating Middle French Immersion, closing Alternative Schools and phasing out some special education programs. The recommendations include changes to the grade structures at 18 schools and alterations to the boundaries at dozens of schools. According to the report, approximately 1,500 more students than normal will be required to change schools in September 2026 due to the changes. The report, tabled by OCDSB Director of Education Pino Buffone, says the elementary program review found 'the need for change' within the school board, noting 'clearly not all students in all school communities' were benefiting from the programs offered by the board. 'More specifically, feedback collected from the community consistently indicates that the current elementary model is not meeting the needs of all students in the District in several tangible ways,' the report says. 'To begin, many students are required to travel outside of their community to attend school because the program they wish to access is not offered at the closest school. In addition, concerns have been raised about barriers (e.g., attitudinal, structural) to accessing French Immersion programs, including among multilingual learners and students with special education needs.' Staff recommend the OCDSB offer two elementary programs, Enhanced English and French Immersion, starting in September 2026, with the gradual phase out of Middle French Immersion and Alternative Schools over the next few years. The report says the 'successful implementation' of the new elementary program model will have the following 'desired outcomes': 'Equitable access for all students to programs offered within a designated community school model,' staff said. Reduced grade configurations Improved transitions between feeder schools 'Re-balancing enrolments where possible to provide more stability for low-enrolment schools and their communities,' the report said. According to the board, the changes to elementary school program offerings, grade configurations and attendance boundaries will improves access to programs 'through the expansion of dual-track programming across the District in a community school model,' and more students will be served at their designated school Trustees will debate the final recommendations on Tuesday, with a final decision on the Elementary Program Review to be finalized May 13. looks at what you need to know about the OCDSB Elementary Program Review and its changes: Current program model The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board currently offers six programs in elementary schools: Full-Day Kindergarten English with Core French Early French Immersion Middle French Immersion Alternative Program The Ottawa-Carleton Virtual School There is also special education and English as a Second Language services. According to the board, 60 per cent of OCDSB students are currently enrolled in Early French Immersion, compared to 40 per cent in English with Core French. The school board says currently, 63 schools offer English with Core French and French Immersion, 15 schools offer single-track English, 15 schools offer single-track Early French Immersion, 19 schools offer 'triple-track,' and there are four Alternative schools and two special education schools. The board also operates one 'quadruple-track school.' Proposed Elementary Program Review changes Trustees will vote May 13 on the following recommendations: Effective September 2026, the OCDSB offers Enhanced English and French Immersion for students in Grades 1 to 8. Middle French Immersion be phased out with the last cohort of Grade 4 students entering the program in September 2026 completing Grade 8 in 2031. Alternative Schools be phased out as the last cohort of JK students entering the program in September 2025 completes Grade 8 in 2035. The OCDSB phases out the following Specialized Program Classes: Gifted program – Primary, Language Learning Disability Program and Learning Disabilities Specialized Intervention Program. OCDSB protest Parents of students at Severn Avenue Public School are raising safety concerns about potential changes to school boundaries in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa) Boundary review and changes to Grade structures The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board proposes changes to the grade structures at 18 schools and alterations to the boundaries at dozens of schools. The OCDSB says there will be five single-track English schools and six single-track French schools, with the remaining schools offering Enhanced English and French Immersion. Staff say there are three 'overarching principles' of the program review: Dynamic, bilingual teaching and learning environments: 'The ability to offer programming in English and French for all students at each school site, along a continuum of bilingualism organized by subject area/discipline, allows students to build confidence, proficiency and achievement in both official languages,' the board says Continuum of inclusion: 'The provision of support at each school site allows for an array of assistance for all students, including multilingual learners and those with special needs, with the potential for full inclusion, withdrawal assistance, and/or specialized program classes.' Community-based education: The board says the program review is 'recognition of each school site as core to the community allows for localization of programs and/or services related, to learning, well-being and social responsibility.' Impact of OCDSB's elementary program review Impact of OCDSB's elementary program review The following schools will see changes to Grade structures Bayview Public School, currently JK to Grade 4, will become JK to Grade 3 (EE, FI) Blossom Park Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, MFI, FI) Carson Grove Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Emily Carr Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become Grades 7 and 8 (EE, FI) Forest Valley Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Glen Ogilvie Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Goulbourn Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become JK to Grade 8 (JK-8 (EE, FI), 7-8 MFI, 7-8 Henry Munro Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become Grades 7 and 8 (EE, FI) Le Phare Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (FI) Manotick Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Metcalfe Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) North Gower/Marlborough Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE) Richmond Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Robert Hopkins Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Rockcliffe Park Public School: currently JK to Grade 6, will become JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI) South March Public School, currently JK to Grade 6, will become JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI) Steve MacLean Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) Vimy Ridge Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI) The OCDSB says all schools will remain open 'with more balanced enrolments' across the city. One change to the original plan The updated recommendations include revising the grade configuration at Rockcliffe Park Public School. The school will shift from a JK to Grade 6 school to JK to Grade 8. The board says the change will affect the attendance boundaries of Rockcliffe Park Public School, York Street Public School, Queen Elizabeth Public School. Phasing out Middle French Immersion and Alternative The OCDSB says it will phase out Middle French Immersion and Alternative Schools starting in September 2026. The last cohort of Middle French Immersion students will enter Grade 4 in September 2026 and complete Grade 8 by the end of the 2030-31 school year. Students in Middle French Immersion will, in most cases, remain at their current school. The last cohort of Junior Kindergarten students starting in September 2025 will complete Grade 6 at the end of the 2032-33 school year, and Grade 8 in 2034-35. Staff say the four K-Grade 6 Alternative schools and one Grade 7-8 school will begin to transition to community schools in September 2026. For more information on the proposed boundaries, visit the OCDSB website. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
CBC
03-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
OCDSB proposes to scale back elementary school overhaul
Social Sharing After weeks of protest from parents, Ottawa's largest school board is scaling back several elements of a sweeping restructuring of its elementary school system. The revised school boundary proposal released Thursday by the public Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) would require fewer students to switch to a new school in September 2026. Under the new plan, the only schools divided into separate kindergarten to Grade 3 and Grade 4 to Grade 8 configurations would be those that currently exist. Parents and caregivers will also soon be able to request exceptions that could "allow their children to remain at their current school based on specific circumstances," according to a report on the proposal. The revised plan would still see both English and French immersion offered in almost all OCDSB elementary schools, although five will remain English-only and six French-only, said director of education Pino Buffone. The initial plan was to have zero English-only elementary schools, but the grade reconfigurations required to make that happen were going to create "hardships" for families, Buffone said. "There were concerns about the split-up of siblings quite so young. So we've been able to go back to the original proposal [and] adjust some of those school configurations," he said. The OCDSB currently has 30 single-track elementary schools: 15 that are English-only and 15 that are French-only. Some specialized classes retained Middle French immersion would still be phased out starting in September 2026, as would the board's five alternative schools, which would transition to community schools. More than two dozen specialized classes would also be phased out, although the revised proposal retains — for now — the board's primary special needs program and its junior general learning program. The latest boundary proposal also means some schools might now be "a little lower populated than we hoped," Buffone added, with others "a little higher populated." Ever since the initial plans for the OCDSB's largest restructuring in decades came out at the end of February, parents have been expressing their discontent by holding rallies and making their feelings clear at board meetings. The public will be able to weigh in online about the revisions until April 24, with a chance for delegations to provide direct feedback to the board on April 22. The final recommendations are set to go to the board's committee of the whole for approval on May 13.
