Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Most Commented
Roch Gamach, chair of the governing board at Pierre Elliott Trudeau elementary school in Vaudreuil-Dorion. John Mahoney,
PET students won't be redirected for now
But decision could be revisited as enrolment continues to rise
Kristina Edson
The Gazette
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Roch Gamach, chair of the governing board at Pierre Elliott Trudeau elementary school in Vaudreuil-Dorion. John Mahoney,
Parents at a Vaudreuil-Dorion elementary school learned this week that their children will be granted a one year reprieve and not redirected to another school next year because of overcrowding in their building.
Lester B. Pearson School Board commissioners voted Monday evening to allow all Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School students to remain at the school during 2008-09 academic years despite enrolment numbers that put the French immersion program school above capacity next year.
Numbers are expected to climb still higher in successive years, board chairman Marcus Tabachnick said.
The temporary solution buys the board time in which to push provincial education officials to approve a new English elementary school in the off-island area.
Tabachnick added that the board has reserved the right to revisit the overcrowding situation should enrolment numbers further escalate in the off-island region.
This week’s decision was the one most favoured by parents during a public meeting held last month.
More than 75 PET parents showed up to voice opinions to board and school officials.
The board had considered sending several classes of students for one year to one of three board run off-island schools.
Many angry parents questioned the persistent overcrowding problem.
“Five years ago, when I registered my kindergartner, I was told there was overcrowding,” France Dubois said. “Five years later, there is still overcrowding. What have you done in the last four years?”
With five kindergarten classes enrolled next year, some felt their kids were being kicked out to make room for the new students.
Dubois suggested one solution.
“There are 125 open spaces at Mount Pleasant (elementary school in Hudson,)” she said. “Add a French immersion program to that school and send the kindergarten kids (in that zone) to Mount Pleasant.”
Pearson director general Bob Mills said parents from one school can not make decisions for another school.
“Mount Pleasant has to request a program change,” he said.
Many had supported keeping all PET students together next year, despite overcrowding.
Principal Jan Langelier said maintaining the status quo was possible, though the school would be bursting at the seams.
Lynn Thompson, a PET teacher, expressed “an unpopular opinion,” saying the school’s teachers did not support housing all students at the school next year.
“We felt quite strongly as a staff that putting that number of children in a school will have a negative impact,” she said. “We don’t want to see any of the kids leave, but the decision we see as best is not to put everybody in the building.”