Jackson Meadows Public School - Questions and Responses

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Question #17: Are the new developments on Meadowlilly Road South, counted as new Summerside students or new southeast students, or something else?

Response: The developments on Meadowlilly Road South are within the Tweedsmuir boundary, so no students from this area will be designated to Summerside or the new school.

Question #16: Is the undeveloped portion of the Summerside accounted for in the future population?  This would be the area directly west of the school.

Response: The undeveloped portion of land west of Summerside PS has been accounted for in all projections.

Question #15: Does this report account for any new development along Bradley? Or the new development to the west of Meadowgate Road?

Response: Yes, it does. When we created our projections, we looked at all development that’s planned for this area.

Question #14:  Why are we building a school that’s going to be overcapacity within a year or two? These capacity issues are not solved by this new school. Only eased a little bit.

Response: This area of London is growing quite quickly due to housing developments. Lots of families are moving in, and their children need a place to go to school.

Approximately once a year, the Ministry of Education invites school boards to apply for funding for new schools and additions. Thames Valley isn’t the only school board faced with enrolment pressure as enrolment is up in many areas of the province. When the Ministry funds a new school, it does not fund that school to a size that would accommodate the peak of its future enrolment but rather to a size that will accommodate the students who are already residing in the community.

However, if continued growth means schools reach – or exceed – capacity, we will submit business cases for additional student accommodations.

Question #13: Would students be able to remain at Summerside if they choose to? All those who are attending Summerside have already had to move schools twice. This means they would now have to move a third time. Given that it is less than five years from the time they had to move, we are hoping one can remain if they choose. If not (but I hope the answer is yes), would those who are going into their grade 8 year be able to remain so they aren't moving for only one year and can graduate with their peers/friends?

Response: This is the type of feedback we’re hoping to receive from the subcommittees. We encourage people to talk to their school community, and the subcommittee, and if this is something everyone feels strongly about, to include it in the subcommittee’s report.

We can’t offer legacy agreements for all students, but we welcome the subcommittee’s recommendations regarding which grades may be appropriate.  Trustees will review these recommendations as part of the final decision.

Question #12: From the report, staff expect both schools to grow. Does this mean more students will be coming to Summerside Public School?

Response: When staff created both options for this attendance area review the goal was to balance enrolment between Summerside Public School and the new Southeast London elementary school as much as possible. Under Option 1, Summerside Public School would have slightly more students than under Option 2 when the new school opens, but the long-term utilization of Summerside Public School will be lower than it currently is.

Question #11: Will Summerside Public School still have portables on site?

Response: Portables will not be at Summerside Public School to the same extent they are today. Under Option 1, after the new southeast school is built, Summerside Public School would be at capacity (100% utilization), which would mean portables aren’t required anymore. However, looking ahead into the 2030s, we anticipate the school may need two or three portables, depending on enrolment numbers.  

For Option 2: Summerside Public School would have fewer students, but the new southeast elementary school would have significantly higher enrolment and would need more portables on-site than in Option 1.

Question #10: How quickly will Thames Valley remove portables at Summerside Public School?

Response: In the months prior to the opening of the new school, we’ll confirm the number of students expected and remove excess portables as soon as possible. We can’t promise they’ll be removed all at once, but we’ll certainly do so in a timely manner.

Question #9: Did staff consider drawing a natural boundary at Jackson Road?

Response: That was looked at, but ultimately from an enrolment balancing perspective it didn’t make sense to create a boundary solely along Jackson Road.

Question #8: When you draw a boundary on a road, does that mean kids on one side of the street would attend one school and those on the other side a different one? That doesn’t seem fair, that kids can’t go to the same school as their neighbours. How do you address that challenge?

Response:  When we create attendance area boundaries, we often use roads as a natural boundary, with the centre of the road serving as the dividing line. So yes, this does mean when a boundary is drawn on a road, kids on opposite sides of the street could go to different schools. However, we welcome feedback from the Attendance Area Review Committee about other options we could consider.

Question #7: Is it possible to recommend that students and siblings at Summerside Public School be given a choice to remain at the school? Also, can we ask for provision for transportation for those students?

Response: As part of the Attendance Area Review Committee (AARC), each school forms a subcommittee and they discuss issues like this, and then make recommendations. Legacy agreements, allowing current students to stay at a school until they graduate, can be part of that discussion. However, we can’t give every student a legacy agreement, otherwise we wouldn’t have enough students for the new Southeast school, and issues around overcapacity would continue. These legacy agreements are usually offered to graduating students, with siblings being permitted to attend the same school for one year only.

In terms of transportation, it is usually offered to students and their siblings for one year. For the new Southeast London elementary school, this would be the 2026-2027 school year.   This reduces the length of time for multiple bus routes within same neighbourhood(s).

Question #6: If anyone is attending John P. Robarts Public School and going into grade 8 and has friends and wants to stay in that school, will there be provisions that allow them to stay at their school or will they have to go to the new south east school?

Response: That’s part of a legacy agreement option, which each school subcommittee can recommend as part of their report. Trustees would make the final decision on legacy agreements.

Question #5: Summerside Public School had its enrolment capped back in 2023, but each year in the fall we bring over another 80 students. Has this been taken into consideration, and will this continue when the new school opens?

Response:  When space becomes available at Summerside Public School, students who were supposed to go to the school and instead went to John P. Robarts Public School are allowed to attend. We expect this will continue, subject to available space at Summerside Public School. The enrolment cap at Summerside PS will be lifted when the new south east school opens.

Question #4: A lot of parents are very concerned about our children being shuffled again. Could you share what normally happens in these situations, so we have a better understanding and prepare our kids for disruption?

Response: We understand your concern about children having to move schools. The challenge, however, is that Thames Valley is growing quite rapidly. Enrolment is already capped at Summerside Public School, and we expect this growth to continue. This is why the Ministry of Education provided funding for a new southeast school. When it opens, students within the attendance area – which the Attendance Area Review Committee will help create – will attend the new school.

When other new schools have opened in Thames Valley, students entering grade 8 received a legacy agreement option and are allowed to stay at their current school (along with their siblings) with transportation (if eligible) for one year. Following that initial implementation year, siblings of these graduating students would attend their designated school.  

Question #3: Is there a daycare facility and what is the size of that?

Response: The child care centre will be a five-classroom centre for 88 children. We’ll announce later in the winter who will be the child care operator for that centre.

Question #2: We don’t currently have a playground at Summerside Public School. Is that something that would be built into the budget of this new school?

Response: The Ministry of Education does not provide funding for playgrounds, and these are fundraised for by each school community.

Question #1: Does the Thames Valley District School Board have a policy in place that limits how often students can be forced to switch schools? Three switches in such a short time would be a lot for some of these kids.

Response:  Given the level of growth in southeast London, the new school is required to accommodate students. We need to alleviate the enrolment pressure we’re experiencing at Summerside Public School, in particular, and this will require that some current students switch schools when the new school opens.