Update on Broadview School (Infrastructure)

Last week Broadview Avenue Public School was closed for a day when the boiler backfired.  It brought to the fore the issue of urban school funding and the (sometimes sad) state of our urban schools.   The school administration worked diligently to ensure the closure was as short as possible.  Council was instrumental in bringing the issue of school funding before the media and both CTV and CBC had excellent coverage. 

A few events / discussions are coming up in relation to this and I'll hi-lite what I know here:

• On January 12th the OCDSB Business Services Meeting will examine a recommendation from staff that 6 core schools, including Broadview, should undergo major renovations between 2010 and 2015.  For more detail on the meeting agenda and to see the Plan itself, see http://www.ocdsb.ca/Lists/Board%20Meeting%20Calendar/DispForm.aspx?ID=41&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eocdsb%2Eca%2FPages%2Fdefault%2Easpx

• On January 20th there will be what I understand is an open meeting at Devonshire Avenue Public School with Yasir Naqvi to discuss the balance between urban and suburban school funding.  I don't think anyone begrudges funding to suburban schools - or to any schools frankly - but the question of balance is an interesting one and some parity willl hopefully be forthcoming.  A number of schools in kitchissippi have been previously renovated or rebuilt - Hilson and Churchill to name two - but others (such as Broadview and Devonshire) are much in need.  I hear the bathrooms in both are comparable...in a bad way! 

• One other useful piece of information - and, as I find again and again, another reason why I have an almost limitless respect for Dovercourt and its Director John Rapp - if your school closes, Dovercourt can be ready to take in kids on very short notice.  For the one day that Broadview was closed they took in 14 or so but could have handled 30-40.  They are a responsive and pro-active organization that does a lot for our community when needed.  Kudos to them.