Latest news with #elementaryschools
CBC
18-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Education minister lauds first year of school lunch program but tweaks are likely
Social Sharing Officials with the province's Education Department are not tracking food waste associated with the new school lunch program, but the cabinet minister responsible says even with some issues that might need tweaking he's pleased with the first year of the program. "Nothing is perfect, but we've served over two million meals since the start of the lunch program," Education Minister Brendan Maguire told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Halifax on Thursday. The program was launched early into this school year, beginning in 250 elementary schools across the province. Families order meals in two-week blocks and can choose how much they want to pay, with an option to pay nothing. The government budgeted $18.8 million for the first year of the program. The 2025-26 budget more than tripled that figure to $61.2 million in order to speed up the rollout and reach all junior high and middle schools for the coming fall. Maguire conceded that some people have expressed concerns about the program, including the overall menu and quality of some of the meals. He said there would be tweaks heading into the next school year based on feedback. "I always say I have three children and I could put the same meal in front of those three children and they're not necessarily going to like it." The minister, on the other hand, praised the meals he's been able to sample so far, including a bean burrito, pizza and butter chicken. Maguire said his children are small enough that they don't always finish the food, which means he sometimes gets the leftovers. He acknowledged that he may have a less discerning palette than some younger diners. "You've got to know that I'm not a picky eater," he said. Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said he's supportive of the lunch and breakfast programs, noting the importance both play for some students each day. But Mombourquette said that if the program is to be the best it can be, officials need to look at ways to improve it, including tracking food waste. "Because really, those statistics help make the choices around what food selections should be in place and what the students will actually consume more of," he told reporters. NDP MLA Susan Leblanc, whose party advocated for years for a universal school lunch program, said there may be shortcomings in the first year of the rollout but the broader intent of the program should not be missed. "The idea of school lunches is a success," she told reporters. Still, like Mombourquette, Leblanc said she'd like to see more attention paid to food waste and menus adjusted to ensure the program benefits students as much as possible as it continues to be introduced in more schools.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
OCDSB votes to approve contentious elementary school program review
Ottawa's largest school board has approved a controversial overhaul of elementary schools Tuesday night, which includes a slate of changes to programs, grade structures, and boundaries. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Elementary Program Review will consolidate elementary school programming into Enhanced English and French Immersion, eliminate Middle French Immersion and close Alternative Schools. Approximately 1,500 more students than normal will be required to change schools in September 2026 due to the changes. 'This recommendation is the culmination on the enormous amount of work from our staff and the enormous amount of input and feedback of the entire OCDSB community across the city of Ottawa,' Trustee Lynn Scott said at the conclusion of Tuesday's special board meeting. The review passed nine votes to three, with trustees Amanda Presley, Nili Kaplan-Myrth and Lyra Evans voting against. The board launched the program review last spring, saying the goal was to offer programming in English and French at each school and to have 'community-based education' for students. The proposal had been met with months of debate after parents and trustees took issue with changes to school boundaries, cuts to specialized programs and the closing of alternative schools. Ultimately, OCDSB staff reversed some of the changes, including modifications to grade structures at some of its schools. Trustees also voted last week to maintain special education programs after 26 programs in the primary gifted program, the language learning disabilities program (primary and junior), and the learning disabilities semi-integrated program (junior and intermediate) were to be phased-out. Presley moved a motion Tuesday evening that would require staff to determine the viability of modifying the phase-out of alternative schools in a report to be presented to the board by the fall of 2027, but trustees voted it down after Director of Education Pino Buffone expressed concerns it would make the review unworkable for staff. Parents had protested the move to close alternative schools in recent weeks, with many saying the closure of alternative schools would negatively impact learning of special needs students if required to attend classes in a mainstream school. 'We know that students are not being met where they need to be in our mainstream classrooms,' Presley said. Kaplan-Myrth argued the review does not properly address disparities in the district, especially for students with special needs, racialized children, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. 'We have not found the best option for all students,' she said. 'I want on the record that we have let down these students.' The review will see changes to the grade structures at 18 schools and alterations to the boundaries at dozens of schools. Under the plan, the last cohort will enter Middle French Immersion in September 2026 and finish Grade 8 in 2021. Alternative schools will be phased out in 2035. 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. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
