Although changes undoubtedly need to be made in Stratford schools, parents are concerned about what that means for their kids.
Count Justin and Kristin Erb among that group, with three children at Bedford Public School.
In September, the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) launched a boundary review for elementary schools in Stratford and area, bringing along consultant Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. and creating the Stratford Area Boundary Review Committee (SABRC) to provide assistance.
The purpose of the review is to balance enrolment within city schools, Bedford and Avon Public School, in particular.
Bedford is one of the Stratford schools currently overcapacity, at 108 per cent, however, in five years it is projected to drop to 100 per cent.
It is projected to drop further down to 97 per cent in a decade.
After a tumultuous few years, the Erbs want to preserve the stability their children have now.
"My middle kid, he’s got ADHD and he’s on a student support plan that we’ve worked hard to get (for him) and to give him all the support he needs," said Justin Erb.
"Starting that over at another school just seems very daunting. It's the common sense thing to not disrupt kids if you don't have to."
Avon Public School is also overcapacity, at 120 per cent but it is expected to continue to be overcrowded, reaching 146 per cent capacity in ten years.
Conversely, a number of schools have the opposite problem.
Central Perth Elementary School, Downie Central Public School, North Easthope Public School, and Romeo Public School are all under capacity, ranging from Central Perth with only 51 per cent capacity to Romeo and North Easthope at 65 per cent capacity.
To better utilize space, Watson prepared three options:
Option one:
- Area one redirected from Bedford to Anne Hathaway Public School
- Area two redirected from Avon to Bedford
- Area three redirected from Avon to Hamlet Public School
- Area four redirected from Hamlet to Romeo
- Area five redirected from Avon to Central Perth
- Area six redirected from Avon to Central Perth
Option one is meant to provide enrolment relief at Avon and Bedford, while utilizing space across Stratford schools.
Option two:
- Area one redirected from Bedford to Anne Hathaway
- Area two redirected from Avon to Bedford
- Area three redirected from Avon to Downie Central
- Area four to remain at Hamlet
- Area five redirected from Avon to Central Perth
- Area six redirected from Avon to Central Perth
Option two is meant to provide enrolment relief at Avon and Bedford, while utilizing existing space at Central Perth, Downie Central, and Anne Hathaway.
Option three:
- Area one redirected from Bedford to Anne Hathaway
- Area two redirected from Avon to Bedford
- Area three redirected from Avon to Hamlet
- Area four redirected from Hamlet to Romeo
- Area five redirected from Avon to Central Perth
- Area six redirected from Avon to Bedford
Option three is meant to provide short-term enrolment relief at Avon and Bedford, while utilizing existing space at Stratford schools. This option also retains Stratford students within Stratford schools.
The Erbs proposed a fourth option: redirecting area two students from Avon to Anne Hathaway.
They started a Facebook group, which has garnered some support mainly from other Bedford neighbours, and a website with a sample letter for supporters to send to the committee and trustees.
Erb said that at a public meeting held in January he brought up his proposal with representatives from Watson. They expressed concern that area two would become an island, surrounded by other school boundaries.
Erb said that he and his wife are reviewing their solution to send back to the committee.
He said that even if other parents don’t support their idea, he would ask them to send a message to the trustees and the committee to voice their own opinion.
“Talk to the trustees,” Erb said. “Get your voice out there, because these are the things that really affect us and our kids.”
Within the review process, a number of other concerns came up - either from parents or the committee.
The committee pointed out that Shakespeare Public School, Romeo, Hamlet, and Avon all have limited capacity to accommodate bussing and pick up/drop off needs.
There was also a concern raised by committee members over redirecting students across major arterial roads within Stratford. Other committee members indicated this is already a common practice in areas within the city, a report on the review noted.
Christie Morrow-Wolfe, a parent with children at Hamlet, also had concerns about that.
Options one and three presented by Watson would have 47 students from Hamlet, about 20 per cent of the current school population, go to Romeo.
That could change many families' five-minute walk in the morning to a 20-minute walk, Morrow-Wolfe estimated.
“And it's not just the distance,” Morrow-Wolfe said. “But also the most direct route to Romeo for these Hamlet families to walk involves crossing Erie Street, which is a pretty major arterial road … including crossing over Downie Street where there is no traffic light or crosswalk at a time when there's also a real shortage of crossing guards.”
Morrow-Wolfe said the main priority for any decision made should be to limit the impact on kids and their learning, and like the Erbs, she also wants parents to make their voices heard.
No decision on the boundaries have been made yet and the public consultation process is still ongoing.
A survey is available for parents or anyone connected to one of the twelve schools included in the review. It can be found online here. It is also available in print format at school offices.
The survey will be open until Feb. 15.
The consultations will be shared with the board in April. Ultimately, trustees will consider a report with options, recommendations, and community feedback and decide what course of action to take.
More information, including a report on each option Watson presented, can be found on the school board’s website, here.
