Parents of French immersion pupils pushed back hard Tuesday night against the Thames Valley District school board’s plan to open a new such high school program at underutilized Clarke Road secondary school.
A widespread boundary shakeup proposal includes changing the high school path of future French immersion pupils from London’s Louise Arbor and Princess Anne: They’d no longer go on to Sir Frederick Banting and Sir Wilfrid Laurier, respectively, and instead both head to Clarke Road in the east end.
“(This change) will have huge impacts on this French immersion program,” said Sarah Visscher, who chairs a Laurier committee reviewing the boundary changes. “All I’m asking you to do is what you were elected to do and represent the interest of your constituents.”
Parents may opt for English-language or Catholic schools if they lose confidence that their kids will get “the same breadth of (French immersion) education” at Clarke Road, relative to Laurier or Banting.
Another parent added: “Assuming that students who would enroll in an established program (at Banting), with a reputation for excellence, would be just as likely to enroll in a fledgling program at a new site, is a gamble.”
Trustees also reviewed dozens of letters and comments from parents who expressed concern over the proposed boundary changes for 14 high schools – 11 in London and three close to the city – to balance enrolment. Details were unveiled last month.
The changes target enrollment imbalances that leave some high schools such as Montcalm and Westminster under-populated while others are jammed. The revisions would be grandfathered in, and won’t affect any student enrolled at one of the listed schools as of March 31, 2024 or their siblings, officials said.
Senior administration has warned trustees that approving the overhaul is critical if they hope, as planned, to get provincial funding for the board’s first new London high school in 50 years (Saunders, built in 1972, was the last). If built, the new school would be in north London.
The Thames Valley board is Ontario’s largest outside the Greater Toronto Area, with 161 schools and roughly 85,000 students across Southwestern Ontario. Trustees will make a final decision on the boundary shakeup on June 27. Any changes won’t be implemented until September 2024.
- Pupils at Princess Anne French Immersion who would currently go on to attend Sir Wilfrid Laurier secondary school will now go to Clarke Road secondary school.
- Pupils at Louise Arbor French Immersion who currently go on to attend Sir Frederick Banting secondary school will now go to Clarke Road.
- Pupils at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts will now attend London Central secondary school and continue to have the option to attend their home school.
- A segment of pupils who attend Eagle Heights elementary school who currently go on to attend to London Central will go to Sir Frederick Banting secondary school.
- A segment of pupils who attend East Carling elementary school and currently go on to attend London Central secondary school will go to Montcalm secondary school.
- Pupils at Clara Brenton elementary school who currently go on to attend Oakridge and Sir Frederick Banting secondary schools will go to Oakridge solely.
- Pupils at Summerside elementary school who currently go on to Clarke Road and Lord Dorchester secondary schools will solely go on to Clarke Road high school.
- Pupils at Arthur Ford, Sir Isaac Brock and W. Sherwood Fox elementary schools who currently go on to attend Saunders secondary school will now go to Westminster secondary school.
- Pupils at Cleardale elementary school who currently go on to attend South Collegiate Institute and Sir Wilfrid Laurier secondary school will now go to Westminster secondary school.
- Pupils at Victoria elementary school who currently go to South Collegiate Institute and Westminster secondary school will solely go to Westminster secondary school.
- Pupils at Ashley Oaks, Rick Hansen and White Oaks elementary schools who currently go to Westminster secondary school will now go to Sir Wilfrid Laurier elementary school.
- Pupils at Jack Chambers elementary school who currently go to AB Lucas and Medway secondary schools will solely go to AB Lucas.
- Pupils at Cedar Hollow elementary school who currently go to AB Lucas and Medway secondary schools will now go to Montcalm secondary school.
- Pupils at Sir Arthur Currie elementary school who currently go to Sir Frederick Banting and AB Lucas secondary schools will now go to Sir Frederick Banting solely.
- All other attendance will remain status quo.
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