Facility Partnerships Guideline Ministry of Education March 4, 2010 2007-08 Grants for Student Needs

Context – Partnerships and Declining Enrolment In its 2009 report, the Declining Enrolment Working Group identified that partnerships among school boards and between school boards and communities are critical to the sector’s response to declining enrolment. Partnerships should take the form of informed dialogue and evaluation of opportunities for facility sharing. On February 11, 2010, the Ministry of Education released the Facility Partnerships Guideline and B-memo to school board officials. The Guideline outlines the policy development process for a range of partnership options between co-terminous school boards or between school boards and community groups. Facility partnerships should help boards manage declining enrolment by: Defraying costs for schools that are open but not full; Retaining or increasing educational opportunities by sharing facilities between boards; Strengthening services and supports available for schools and students through community partnerships; Providing additional options for boards with low but viable enrolment in certain schools. Other broad objectives of the Facility Partnerships Guideline are to: Strengthen relationships between school boards, community partners and the public. Maximize use of public infrastructure through increased utilization and flexibility. Improve service delivery for communities through stronger links among programs and services. 2007-08 Grants for Student Needs

Highlights of the Guideline Highlights of the Guideline include: The Guideline focuses on facility partnerships in open and operating schools during school hours. The Guideline encourages: School boards to co-build with co-terminous boards School boards to co-build with community partners Community partners to use empty space in schools Boards are to create a facility partnerships policy that complies with the Ministry’s Guideline. When selling or leasing surplus schools or surplus space in schools, boards will continue to follow Ontario Regulation 444/98. When licensing space or forming joint-use agreements and when notifying community partners about co-building opportunities, boards are expected to follow the notification process outlined in the new Guideline. Boards will create a list of eligible schools for facility partnerships. Boards are encouraged to start by considering schools that have been 60% utilized or less for two years and/or have 200 of more unused pupil places. Boards should consider additional schools as well. Space is not the only criteria for selecting appropriate school space for partnerships – safety, facility design, zoning and other factors will be considered. Boards will indicate within their policy the type of community partners that would be considered eligible to form a facility partnership with the board. OTG adjustments: School boards will remove only 50% of the capacity of space occupied by new partnerships from their on-the-ground capacity in the School Facilities Inventory System (SFIS). 2007-08 Grants for Student Needs

Compliance and Annual Processes Boards are to hold a public meeting each year to exchange information with interested community partners regarding available spaces and/or potential co-build opportunities and community needs. This meeting may be held during a regularly scheduled board meeting. Boards are required to have their facility partnerships policy approved by May 30, 2010. The first of the annual public meetings must by held by June 30, 2010. 2007-08 Grants for Student Needs