Respectfully Standing Up

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Last updated at 9:26 AM on 06/03/09   Stop the disrespect but don't stop fighting for our school  Guest Opinion COMMENTARY LAWRENCE MCKNIGHT  As a Parkdale School parent, I first off want to acknowledge recent media coverage of comments made by some parents trying to save our Parkdale School, reactionary comments made by some at Prince Street School, then more derogatory comments by parents on public websites and elsewhere. Reports from some other presentations made outside the Charlottetown area even speak of name-calling and periodic verbal attacks. I think we all need to take a deep breath, slow down and be really careful of letting disrespect take over while losing sight of the flawed and inherently divisive process driving this whole debate. When parents get thrown into the middle of a process that is already well underway and its pre-made conclusions directly threaten their children's well-being, defensive and reactionary positioning can easily take over. Furthermore, when the report that set this whole uproar into action in the first place is now widely acknowledged as having numerous limitations, internal contradictions, inaccuracies, legal questions and that it makes some unfounded conclusions, emotions run high. Nevertheless, I fully believe that parents on all sides of this debate, who are understandably emotionally charged in defending the well-being of their children, sometimes need to be more cautious and respectful when directing outwardly their sense of powerlessness and anger. It's easy for parents to get sidetracked when feeling disempowered and threatened and even slip into disrespectful attacks. We don't need this. Our children don't need this. And yet, at least in our case, the core issues originally identified by parents at Parkdale School remain. The predicted population decline figures for our area are highly questionable and evidence that our area's population may well increase has been cited. Eastern School District superintendent Sandy MacDonald admitted at the last public presentations in Charlottetown that he had made a mistake in the report in concluding that the Parkdale site would have a problem handling more students and a potential expansion. But this central "fact" was one key reason cited to close our school. He later commented that building onto the Parkdale School, "would certainly turn Parkdale into a very, very valuable site, even more so as compared to Prince Street." Then he concludes that we should close down our Parkdale School and send all our children to Prince Street School. Digesting contradictions like this one does push our parents into a real pressure cooker. But in the end, if we parents simply allow this flawed and divisive process to shut down the Parkdale School, all children in Charlottetown and surrounding area will lose. Charlottetown children will lose forever the use of four full acres of incredibly valuable inner city green space, an incredible, new, million-dollar gymnasium, various gym programs that require this space to continue, a full onsite ball field, a unique safe area for boarding buses and the only inner city school site that can safely handle significant future expansions and developments. Let's really think ahead this time when we make these next big adjustments. MacDonald called the Parkdale site, "one of the best elementary school sites in the city of Charlottetown - these sites have characteristics in common that are essential in terms of elementary schools (the same characteristics we cited). Over the next decade these sites should be fully utilized." We agree. The property services manager for our school district, and MacDonald, actually noted that Parkdale School has an ideal location on which to extend more classroom space as needed, while still preserving all the valuable outdoor space for children's activities and making even better use of our new, million-dollar gymnasium. Home and school volunteers with construction backgrounds are currently drawing up demonstration building plans to show just how various stages of expansion to our facility could be built within a very reasonable budget. Our trustees really need, and deserve to be given, adequate time and opportunity to more fully consider these new options being presented by our group to save the Parkdale School. This Parkdale School site really is an essential resource for Charlottetown's children. For this reason, perhaps you might begin to understand our shocked, angry and emotionally charged reactions to the current threat to close down this incredible resource for all city children. But let's go easier on each other and re-focus on logical thinking and above all, saving and building upon, this key resource that is clearly very valuable for all our city children. Lawrence McKnight is a social worker, active member of the Parkdale Home and School Association and his child currently attends Parkdale School.

In The News, Ctd

'Students shouldn't settle for adequate,' school trustees told

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | 8:09 AM AT Comments8Recommend5

CBC News

Parents with children at urban schools threatened with closure had their turn to speak Tuesday night, as P.E.I.'s Eastern School District continued consultations on a plan to close 11 schools.

'I would ask that you put the children first.'— Andrea MacNeil

Two schools in Charlottetown would close under the plan, St Jean Elementary, near the downtown, and Parkdale elementary, in Parkdale.

The gym at Colonel Gray High School was full for the meeting. Most of the dozen parents who made a presentation to the school board expressed their concern that Parkdale would close, when it was rated as one of the top elementary schools in the area.

"Our students shouldn't settle for adequate when they're used to superior," said Kathy MacKenna.

The students at Parkdale would be moved to Prince Street school, closer to the downtown, and parents felt they would receive a poorer quality education there. They argued the school has a large gymnasium, just built in 2002 and four acres of green space, which is not the case at Prince Street. They also pointed to the school's new playground.

Andrea MacNeil was on the verge of tears during her slide presentation of Parkdale staff and students.

"You've got a lot of things that you have to think about but I would ask that you put the children first," said MacNeil.

Prince Street students could move

Several parents suggested the students of Prince Street should be moved into Parkdale instead, if extra rooms were built to accommodate them.

Even district superintendent Sandy Macdonald, author of the report, agreed that would be a good alternative to closing Parkdale.

"That would certainly turn Parkdale into a very, very valuable site, even more so as compared to Prince Street," said MacDonald.

The reason MacDonald recommended closing Parkdale in the first place is because it doesn't have enough room for any more students, but Prince Street does, he said, adding it will be up to the school board to take those arguments into consideration.

In The News

Closing city school 'stupid' idea, meeting hears NIGEL ARMSTRONG  The Guardian Many words, sentences and documents were used by Parkdale School supporters Tuesday at a public meeting in Charlottetown but one presenter was blunt in summing up his view. Lawrence McKnight said that closing Parkdale and busing the children to Prince Street School “would be stupid, to be quite blunt.” He was speaking at the third of six planned public consultations by the Eastern School District in response to a report recommending the closure of 11 schools now and possibly two more in the near future. Two of the closures are in the Colonel Gray family of schools and it was at Colonel Gray that close to 300 people packed into the meeting Tuesday night. They were told 17 people or groups wanted to make a public presentation but if time ran out, arrangements will be considered to hear them at later meetings. It was Parkdale that received the greatest attention. Parkdale staff showed up dressed like a team in identical blue athletic wear. Parents draped green fabric over the backs of all the chairs on which they also placed a green sheet of paper outlining the Save- Parkdale campaign. It is the green space around Parkdale school that is one key focus of the support group. Parkdale has plenty of space to build an addition to the school and still have safe play space outside, which cannot be said for the destination of Prince Street, said many supporters. Lisa MacLaren, vice-president of the Parkdale Home and School group emphasized safety at the meeting.  She said the space around Parkdale allowed for much better control and safety of students in the event of a fire or school evacuation. She also spoke about safe and secure bus loading in the paved parking lot on the grounds of Parkdale whereas Prince Street loads and unloads from a street. Other presenters railed against the push to close schools before the district undertakes a rezoning in 2010 and before the effect of kindergarten integration takes place, also proposed for 2010. Samantha Watts was at the meeting in support of Grand Tracadie School which is also slated to close. She asked who told Sandy MacDonald, superintendent of education for the district, to write the school closure report. “A letter came from the minister of Education to the chair of the board,” said MacDonald.  The letter asked for a school closure report by Dec. 30 and the board gave the job to MacDonald. “So the minister of Education, who wanted this report, is not coming to these meetings?” said Watts, to loud applause. Lori MacKay spoke in support of Parkdale, saying  the present zoning has “buses zigzagging all over the city,” to cope with outdated zoning issues. She demanded the school closure project stop until rezoning can take place. “Slow this process down, and only you can do that,” she said, speaking directly to the school trustees. “Government will accept whatever decision you make. “Why the rush? Put kindergarten in place in 2010. Rezone in 2010, then look at your options.” The next public meeting on the school closure issue is scheduled for Montague High School on March 3.

Parkdale Brings Strong Showing To Board Meeting

The friends of Parkdale School came out in force for the latest meeting of the Eastern School Board's public consultations on school closures held at Colonel Gray with close to 300 people in attendance. 

Led by the Parkdale Home and School Association they made themselves heard during the question and answer session with Superintendent Sandy MacDonald and during presentations to the school board trustees. Six presentations were made in support of keeping Parkdale open because of questions about student safety, access to green space, and loss of enhanced programming and support services. Many questions were asked on details about Parkdale that were left out of the report and mistakes about Parkdale that were in the report. New facts and new ideas were given to the board.  

The message delivered was loud and clear that Parkdale School is a thriving school that gives students a quality learning environment with strong programs and should stay open.

Thank you to all who made presentations, asked questions and showed their support. A special thank you to the school staff who came out and showed their support.

Meeting Tonight

The next Eastern School Board Public Consultation Meeting on school closures will take place tonight at Colonel Gray High School. The meeting starts at 7 P.M.

This meeting will focus on the Colonel Gray family of schools. Ther e are two schools recommended for closure in this family, Parkdale and St. Jean's.

Please come out tonight and show your support for keeping Parkdale School open so that it can keep giving its students a quality education! Thanks.

Taking It To The Streets

Below is a copy of a brochure from the Parkdale Home and School Association that were hand delivered to hundreds of homes in Charlottetown this weekend by volunteers concerned about the future of Parkdale Elementary School.

Park Dale Brochure

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The Meeting Before The Meeting

The Parkdale Home and School Association will be holding a meeting tomorrow evening, Monday, February 23rd, at 6:30 P.M. The meeting will be held in the library at Parkdale School. The purpose of the meeting is to finalize preparations for the next Eastern School Board Public Consultation Meeting on Tuesday, February 24th, at Colonel Gray High School. 

If you are concerned about the future of Parkdale School and want to help the students keep receiving the quality education they get at Parkdale please attend. There are many ways to help out and volunteers are always welcome!

Another Take On School Size

This a copy of the study from Simon Fraser University about the benefits of smaller schools that was mentioned in the excellent letter from the Savidants.
Does School Size Matter (1)

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More Families Speaking Out For Parkdale's Future

COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURE OF PARKDALE SCHOOL

TO:  The Eastern School District Trustees

We are Ron and Sharon Savidant.  Our son, Carson, is currently in Grade 3 at Parkdale Elementary School.  We live on the Portage Road in Brackley Beach, an area that has been zoned for Parkdale Elementary for more than 30 years.  We both work in Charlottetown at full-time permanent jobs – thus requiring before and after school care.  Our son attends Kids Connection, a before and after school program that services Parkdale and Sherwood Elementary schools.

We are writing at this time to voice our comments and concerns about the Eastern School District School Organization Plan, dated January 7, 2009. 

On page 84 of the E.S.D.S.O.P., it states:

                “Parkdale students will be exposed to broader program offerings at Prince Street. There will be enhanced offerings in the areas of physical education, music, core French and library.  There will also be significantly greater support in guidance and resource programs.  Teaching staff will benefit considerably, as they will experience the professional growth that results from being part of a professional learning community. Opportunities to share knowledge, ideas, and resources with colleagues, will over time               translate into better education experiences for all students.”

If this were to be the case, we would not be so concerned about Parkdale’s closure.  BUT, this is NOT the case.  Have any of you trustees been to either Parkdale or Prince Street Schools?  Perhaps all of you should drop in to each school and see firsthand if these above-noted statements are accurate BEFORE you decide to close Parkdale School.

The physical education program at Parkdale  School is not lacking because it is considered a “small school”.  The wonderful gym was completed in the Spring of 2002 – only seven years ago – at a cost of approximately 1.3 million dollars.  The gym at Prince Street School is in no way comparable to that of Parkdale.  The Parkdale students have the opportunity to take part in the following sports: ball hockey, basketball, snow shoeing, gymnastics, soccer, touch football, track and field, volleyball, cross country running and badminton.  Some of these opportunities do not exist at Prince Street as the “gym” and green space are not big enough to support these activities.  Parkdale School is able to offer all these activities to the students because of the beautiful gym and the 3 ACRES of green space surrounding the school.  Parkdale School was also awarded the 2004-2005 Platinum Award, which is a school recognition award for a “quality physical education program”.  At a time when physical education is the subject of many initiatives concerning healthy children, it does not make sense to put children in a less than adequate gym facility when a new, excellent gym is already in place.

On page 84 of the E.S.D.S.O.P., it also states that:

              “Prince Street now has access to a sports field shared with Birchwood Intermediate.”

This sports field will not be accessible for recesses and lunch breaks, as it is too far away.  The gym at Parkdale School and the 3 ACRE green space surrounding the school is accessible any time the students require it.

We see no enhanced offering in the area of physical education if our son is moved to Prince Street.

The music program at Parkdale involves the entire school.  There is a 1-2 choir, a 3-6 choir, a Christmas play, a Spring play, and a Hip-Hop Dance group.

All children in the school take part in the Christmas Play.  It is something our son and all the other children look forward to.  You can feel the excitement in the school before the play starts and after the play, you can see, in the faces of all the children, the pride, confidence and a sense of a job well done.  They all feel they have contributed in some way to the production.  Because Parkdale is a “small school”, the relationship between teacher and student is such that the staff  are able to ensure that ALL the children in the school believe in themselves and feel the importance of their own individual contributions to the Christmas play and also to ALL the daily activities throughout the school year.

We see no enhanced offering in the area of music if our son is moved to Prince Street.

Our son has not experienced the core French program at Parkdale School, but we are told by other Parkdale parents that Parkdale’s core French program exceeds that offered at other larger schools.

The library at Parkdale is not limited because Parkdale is a “small school”.  Our son has been taking books out from the library since Grade 1, and he has not had to take the same book twice.

There are 23 new DELL computers in the computer lab at Parkdale School, which were acquired in the last few months.  We do not have our own computer in our home.  We have watched our son on computers in friend’s homes and his “know how” in operating a computer, after only three years instruction, leads us to believe there are no limitations at Parkdale School in this area either.

We see no enhanced offering in the area of core French, library or computers if our son is moved to Prince Street.

As to the statement that “there will also be significantly greater support in guidance and resource programs”, Parkdale is not limited in this area either.  We believe that if any child at Parkdale needed the help of a guidance counsellor or other resources, it would be readily available.  The E.S.D.S.O.P. was to be made public on January 7, 2009.  On January 5, 2009, the Guardian reported that Parkdale School may be on the list of possible closures.  On January 5, 2009, the Principal of Parkdale School and the guidance counsellor attended each classroom to calm any fears or anxieties the children may have had, after hearing about the possible closure.

We see no enhanced offering in the area of guidance and resource programs if our son is moved to Prince Street.

There are also many other extra-curricular and co-curricular programs offered at Parkdale including:  Roots of Empathy, Babysitting Course, D.A.R.E, Provincial Sports Teams, Art Smarts Program Grant, Heritage Fair, Science Fair and trips to the Confederation Center.

As to the statements that:   “Teaching staff will benefit considerably, as they will experience the professional growth that results from being part of a professional learning community.  Opportunities to share knowledge, ideas, and resources with colleagues, will over time translate into better educational experiences for all students.”  We wish to point out that Parkdale became an elementary school in the late 1970’s.  Since that time, the staff turnover has been relatively low, as a lot of teachers choose to spend their career at Parkdale School.  At our very first “meet the teacher night”, we were told the Grades 1, 2, and 3 teachers worked together and the Grades 4, 5, and 6 teachers worked together.  This approach seems to be working at Parkdale as our son is getting an education experience that we believe is second to none.  One would think if the staff felt limited in any way by teaching at this “small school”, there would be a higher turnover of teachers.  Our son needed extra help in math in Grade 2 and from January to April of that year, was provided with daily one-to-one sessions with an Educational Assistant to help him improve, which it did.  The teachers at Parkdale School are already part of a “professional learning community”.  With e-mail, the number of P.D. Days, and Teacher Conferences, any teacher can collaborate with their colleagues quite easily.  They do not need to be in the same building to do so.

We do not feel our son would get a better educational experience if he is moved to Prince Street.

Parkdale’s location is easily accessible and has a safe, separate parking lot area for the buses to drop off and pick up the students. Prince Street School does not have this feature.  There is also safe parking on Confederation Street in front of the school for parents who are dropping off and picking up students as Confederation Street is much wider and less busy than the two narrow, busy streets that serve Prince Street for the dropping off and picking up of students by buses and parents.

The staff parking lot at Prince Street is very small.  If the merger goes ahead they will have to add to their parking lot to accommodate additional staff.  Where will they get the space?  From the already limited green space? Thus taking more green space from the children?  Parkdale School has a large staff parking lot and more green space surrounding the school than Prince Street has.  Did you know that Parkdale School owns the ball field to the side of the school?  The City of Charlottetown maintains the ball field in return for free use of the field.

The lack of green space at Prince Street School is also a concern if a fire was ever to break out in the school.  Where would the 300± (possibly more after kindergarten is implemented) children go to be a safe distance from the school?  Prince Street is surrounded by busy streets.  If a fire occurs at Parkdale School, the students are moved to the safety of the large ball field and then to Park Royal United Church gym, if required.

The E.S.D.S.O.P. suggests there has been little residential growth in the Parkdale community and predicts there will be no significant growth in permanent housing development for the area.  The E.S.D.S.O.P. did not report the following:

-         There is currently a 20 unit complex being constructed on Kensington Road –  which area is zoned for Parkdale.

 

-         The vacant land on St. Pius X Avenue, behind the Murchison Centre, is zoned for multifamily dwellings – which area is zoned for Parkdale.

 

-         Once the issues have been settled with the Idlewheels Trailer Park residents – that area may also show residential growth – which area is zoned for Parkdale.

 -         There is a contemplated residential development for a multi-family unit (i.e. apartment building) on Gower Street, which street is zoned for Parkdale School.

 

The biggest question we have with the E.S.D.S.O.P. is why would the Eastern School District close Parkdale School before rezoning and the implementation of kindergarten in all the schools?  Why would the District not do as the Western School District is doing and assess the impact of rezoning and kindergarten before any school closures?

 With rezoning, the catchment area of Parkdale School could be expanded.  Parkdale School could take all or half (half go to Prince Street or West Kent) of the St. Jean students.  Hillsborough Development and Dresden Court children could be zoned for Parkdale School.  Many parents say Sherwood Elementary is overcrowded – some of their students could be rezoned for Parkdale School. 

A lot of money, time and support has been given to Parkdale School by the community, staff, students and parents to ensure it is not limited because it is a “small school”.  All these efforts have succeeded.   Why not expand on this by building on to Parkdale School to add extra classrooms, if required.  The green space is there for expansion.  To close Parkdale School before any consideration has been given to the “numbers” after rezoning and implementation of kindergarten is not in the best interests of the students or the community. 

 If the merger with Prince Street happens for September 2009, and then rezoning occurs, there would be a chance our son, and many other students, would be zoned for another school for September, 2010.  That is not fair to our son or any other student to which it may happen.  These are the “early years” – the grades during which our children are to be receiving the basic groundwork for their future school years.  How can a child be expected to absorb all that is being taught if  he/she has to deal with all the challenges of changing schools two years in a row – at such young ages?

 Pursuant to the “Orientation Manual for School Trustees of PEI”:

 -         at page 24:  “Trustees must deal with each issue according to their own beliefs, taking into consideration the law, the students and the constituency.”

 

-         at page 24:  “Often Trustees work on behalf of the community and must consider the unique needs of that community when deciding what position to take on an issue.”

 

-         at page 31: “School Board Trustees provide leadership in the following areas:

 

Promoting Improvement:

 

-  Putting the needs of students first.”

 

Parkdale is a small school with no limitations.  Please put the needs of the students first and vote to have Parkdale removed from the list of schools to be closed.

 

I have also attached a report done in British Columbia concerning school size, which I found to be quite interesting and informative.  I hope you all will take the time to read it.

 

Ron and Sharon Savidant

4059 Portage Road, Brackley Beach, PEI

 

Sounding Off And Speaking Out

The following press release is from the Parkdale Home & School Association.

Attention News Editors

For Immediate Release

Parkdale Home & School Concerned and Speaking Out For the Future of Parkdale Elementary School

Charlottetown, February 21, 2009 — The Parkdale Home and School Association is organizing and speaking out about the future of Parkdale Elementary School in response to the school’s proposed closure by the Eastern School Board.

The Home and School Association is gravely concerned about the Eastern School Board’s School Closure Plan and has identified many errors, inaccuracies and contradictions about the facilities and programs available at Parkdale which call into question the recommendations about the future of Parkdale School.

"We are deeply concerned that the information in the report used to recommend closing Parkdale is wrong and doesn’t paint an accurate picture for trustees or the public about what is available to students and the community at Parkdale. Flawed information leads to flawed decisions," says Lisa MacLaren, Vice President of the Parkdale Home and School Association.

MacLaren said that the Home and School Assocation will be busy over the next few months working to bring attention to the errors about Parkdale School contained in the School Closure Report and make the public more aware of the advantages that Parkdale School offers to students and the community. Some of the ways this will be done are through making presentations at public meetings; creating a website,http://saveparkdaleschool.blogspot.com; distribution of brochures; a door to door canvass of the area by volunteers and lobbying public officials.

Some of the misleading information about Parkdale School in the report which will be highlighted are:

- inaccurate and misleading information about projected population declines

- ignoring their award winning physical education program as well as the school’s new, state of the art gymnasium built in 2002 at a cost of $1.3 million dollars.

- not acknowledging students will lose significant programs and facilities if forced to move

- under rating their full complement of programs and specialist teachers for French, art, music, and students with special needs.

- ignoring their unique three acres of city green space that includes a new playground, a full baseball diamond and valuable space for future development

- downplaying the significance of safety issues addressed by their unique off street parking lot for buses and parents and the increased safety issues associated with the alternatives proposed.

- Lack of consideration of community and economic impacts of school closure.

-30-

 

For more information contact:

Lisa MacLaren

Vice President, Parkdale Home and School Association

maclarens@pei.sympatico.ca

(902) 566-4259

 

 

 

Families Speaking Out

Many families and friends of Parkdale are very concerned about the School Closure Plan. What concerns many of them the most is the false impression that the report leaves about the kind of quality education that students at Parkdale are receiving now. Below is an excellent letter from a family that makes these very points and is worth reading by all. Thank you again to all families, friends and supporters who write in and share their thoughts and feelings and concerns.

The Bigger Picture- Parkdale School- an Investment in Our Children’s Future

I, and most other Parkdale parents, realize that change is often required and fiscal responsibility is important. But we also realize that it is urgent to have all relevant information, avoid unintended side effects, consider other workable options and ensure we have not inadvertently missed key issues before we make profound decisions that will deeply effect many lives. In all due respect, I honestly do not think this has been adequately done in relation to the idea of closing our Parkdale school. If we really consider this bigger picture, I think we might realize that closing this particular school would be a huge mistake. Furthermore, I profoundly believe that this elementary school is actually the best place in the Charlottetown area to invest for our future and I hope we can justify this. Other parents will share their concerns and hopefully from this collective effort you will get the bigger picture.

First off, three disturbing patterns really stood out to me in this Report:

1) There is the recurring assumption drawn upon throughout this Report that the population base in our area is clearly declining and will continue to decline. This is a central "fact" drawn upon to justify closing our school. What objective research on our particular area is this based upon? Are we again being mistakenly lumped together with rural areas where populations really are dropping? This central assumption needs to be justified and a number of facts directly challenge this conclusion. First, there is currently a significant movement of the rural population into our city and this can be expected to continue. Secondly, while there are many retired adults currently living in Parkdale- and this is one big reason our enrolment has temporarily declined, unlike in many other areas, younger families are now just starting to take over these houses when retired people move out so more children will soon be needing a school. Every area goes through cycles, we are just coming out of one phase of such a cycle. But we shouldn’t open and close schools based on this kind of fluctuation. This is exactly parallel to the situation at West Kent where a similar population renewal occurred bringing in new families, student numbers slowly increased and the school remains dynamic and open. Thirdly, with anticipated increased gas and energy costs, people are being drawn to live here rather than commute. Fourthly, there is also a new subdivision in Parkdale zoned for multi family housing, an application on file to re-zone a mobile home park in our area for multi family housing and new houses are currently being built on Kensington Road as we sit here.

Even with blatantly ignoring these additional noted trends, the Report still predicts our school’s population to at least remain relatively stable over the next number of years, unlike other schools considered for closing. Our dropping numbers appear to have bottomed out- unlike many rural areas, and if the trends just noted above have any base whatsoever, our numbers will now start to increase again. But this enrolment stability is not fully acknowledged and absolutely none of the community development trends just noted is acknowledged in this report. Even more disturbingly, any serious look at future trends is absent. This is a blatant error by omission, short sightedness and again, mis-represents our unique demographic situation and the case to keep the Parkdale School alive and growing.

2) Second disturbing pattern noted: Our school is consistently lumped together with other small schools being considered for closure. But each school is quite unique. For example, we are not a small rural school with a drastically shrinking population base, we do not have inadequate resources, our children are not suffering from isolation- our students are actually flourishing. We are in fact the only inner city elementary school with adequate green space and outdoor activity space for both current and possible future expansion scenarios. We are the only school that can expand in the future and still provide a safe place for buses to load and unload, still provide a more than adequate sports field and the only one with a new, more than adequate gym space - well over 1 million dollars of taxpayers money wisely spent there just 6 years ago. These issues are totally unaddressed in this report.

In our case, closing our school also means sending our children to a school with already acknowledged inadequate parking, inadequate green space and a drastically downgraded gym space that will mean that many of our current highly successful gym programs will be lost to our children. I just took my son to the provincial gymnastics championships because our gymnasium and teachers have consistently supported him in this, but if our school closes and he is forced to move, this program will be lost to him. My stepdaughter also made it to the provincial badminton finals and that will be impossible henceforth as the school gym they will be sent to has inadequate ceiling height and space for these and other sports that are now flourishing at Parkdale. This issue is totally unacknowledged and ignored but will have a very real negative effect on my children and many other children.

In addition, this planned mass herding of our children to Prince Street will also result in even more dramatic safety issues caused by more kids and more buses on already overcrowded, narrow downtown streets and the overcrowding of a facility that has, in contrast to Parkdale, absolutely no future expansion possibilities. Because of these factors, if forced to re-locate, our parents will then do everything in our power to send our kids elsewhere resulting in a further fragmentation of long term school friends and our community. The Report even acknowledges that if our school is closed children will probably be fragmented in several different directions. But the true significance and relevance of these unique elements of our situation are totally ignored in this report.

3) A third recurring pattern noted in this Report is the presentation of inaccurate and often misleading, "facts"and ignoring other equally true facts that would run counter to closing our school. A more glaring example of this occurs when it is stated that St. Jean’s has inadequate green space for outdoor activities and this was given as one "fact" supporting closing St. Jeans. Strangely enough, absolutely no acknowledgment is given to the equally true "fact" that the Prince street school where our children are to be sent is even more limited by the exact same constraints in green space and outdoor activity space. Furthermore, the report even says that the limited green space and outdoor activity space around Parkdale could be a problem if more students were to go there. The report also blatantly ignores the existence of our fully developed ballfield (did the author truly realize when he wrote this report that this huge green space actually belongs to the Parkdale School?), surrounding green space as well as adjacent government owned green space that could be available for future expansion. This is a full 3 acre site with a state of the art ball diamond that the school leases to the city and with a beautiful state of the art playground built by parents and community volunteers- all elements that are unique to our school and all facts that are mainly ignored. Incomplete and flawed information yields flawed decisions. These need to be addressed before you can make informed final decisions.

A final, but very central, contradiction to me just jumped out at me when reading this Report. The author appears at times in the report to at least begin to acknowledge the central value of this unique school space and his reluctance to lose it. In the summary section of the Colonel Grey Family of Schools section (pg 21) the author even goes so far as acknowledging that the Parkdale school site is one of six of, "the best elementary school sites in the City of Charlottetown". He notes, "these sites (which includes Parkdale School) have characteristics in common that are essential in terms of elementary schools. They are easily accessible in terms of location, they are safe in terms of traffic and dropping off/picking up students and they have lots of recreational areas and green space. Over the next decade these sites should be fully utilized."How can it be fully utilized if it is closed and our children removed from it? It should be noted that none of the other five schools assessed as being in this same highly valuable group as Parkdale (Spring Park, West Royalty, West Kent., L.M. Montgomery and Sherwood) are recommended to be closed. And yet this passing - but to me, absolutely central acknowledgment, is then totally forgotten and ignored throughout the rest of this Report. Remember, this is not just acknowledged as merely a nice or optional feature of our school, but as an "essential" characteristic of an elementary school. How can such a central factor then be totally ignored when a plan for closures is recommended? The author goes on to briefly acknowledge our new state of the art gymnasium (he does not mention the 1.3 million dollars invested) and then, in the very next sentence in the report, goes on to say- "in this report it is recommended that Parkdale be closed -".

We have to- and indeed we are, really asking ourselves just what is really driving these recommendations regarding Parkdale when what is acknowledged as "essential" can then be side-stepped, not factored into the equation and ignored when it comes time to recommend saving a few bucks? The well being of our children is obviously not the priority when what is so essential can be so simply cast aside. How do you go about fully utilizing this acknowledged highly valuable space- one of the best in our city, by forcing our children to move out of it? How does this play out when you are, in addition, herding our children into an overcrowded downtown space that- most interestingly, is not even included in this small list of highly valuable school spaces that have these "essential" characteristics of an elementary school? The author even goes on later in the report to suggest our space is not adequate enough to handle any increase in students and, again, totally ignores the severe space constraints and related safety issues involved in herding our students to Prince Street. This to me is absolutely spell binding, contradictory, misleading and just has to be addressed !

I will end off my submission by highlighting some points from my earlier written submission to the Board of Trustees:

- why not limit the disruption to closing just one school in the downtown core and then build on the many highlighted factors at Parkdale?

- Parkdale’s new, state of the art gym facility ensures proper indoor physical activity for our children- it would be a shame to stop using this facility. It is also a well used central community center and closing the school would be a yet another blow to our whole community. These closures should be about supporting community and improving facilities for children. What is really the priority here?

- the incredibly valuable, self-contained three acres of green, outdoor physical activity space is unique to Parkdale and it supports many sports program including a very active track and field program. Prince Street has significantly more serious limits due to being totally surrounded by streets and residential housing. Future development potential also needs to be given significantly more weight and this is not even identified in the Report- to me, a glaring omission

- increased bus activity on narrow city streets associated with moving to Prince St. is a huge concern. The danger level to our children will increase with more buses clogging narrow streets, cars trying to pass to get to work and an increased number of children trying to get to school. In contrast to this, Parkdale has a huge bus parking lot where buses can come off the streets and drop the children safely into the playground. And again, future development potential is better here due to space availability. Again, this safety issue is totally ignored in this Report

- the space at Prince Street School is already well utilized - taking on another 100 students will require expansion- or result in very over crowded classrooms. It makes far more sense to add classroom space onto the Parkdale School and use it’s brand new gym, better outdoor space, safer bus drop off space, and most importantly, more space options for future community development.(all acknowledged as "essential" to any good elementary school)

- students from Hillsborough Development drive right by Parkdale School on the way to St.Jeans. It would be more efficient to send them to Parkdale. Besides, how can you close schools and disrupt children without first fully considering re-zoning options that could easily send more kids to Parkdale?

- the Report ignores that many classrooms at Prince St. are unavailable as they are currently used for the breakfast program, music, special needs students etc

- the Report clearly states that at the Prince Street School, "there is no room for needed further expansion as there is inadequate parking for staff at present"- even more staff equals even more cars. Again, this problem is totally ignored in the Report

- the Report states that students at Prince Street School would have access to John Street Park. This would create another unacknowledged safety issue as it is too far to travel for lunch and recess not to mention safety issues in putting even more kids on those narrow streets

- the Report says all eleven schools recommended for closure, "can no longer meet the programming, student support, and teaching needs of our students". Parkdale students have a full compliment of programming and student services and this statement is blatantly inaccurate and without reference.

- it is stated in the Report that Parkdale School meets all the Department of Education’s required physical education, music and core french requirements and it also has endless drama, music, team sports and performance opportunities. Being part of this small school has in no way been "limiting" as stated in the report.

- the Report states there is, "less specialist time" - This is inaccurate as our students receive all that is required and perhaps unlike other small schools, all specialist areas are properly staffed - e.g. fully qualified gym, music and french teachers.

- Parkdale students will not be exposed to broader programming. They will in fact lose gym programs, intramural opportunities, plus music and art exposure due to the higher number of classes

 - the report says; "All teaching staff at Parkdale work to provide quality education to all students despite the limitations of a small school". What exactly are these limitations?  They were never clearly identified in the report.

- another central assumption in this Report is that same grade level teacher collaboration is essential for good results and we’re too small for that. However, research indicates that there are many essential factors , including level of parental involvement, teacher expectations and socioeconomic level. Teacher collaboration, though helpful, is not seen as central and besides, new technologies open many alternative ways to collaborate. Further to this, the only objective research I found completed here on PEI was the recent Primary Literacy Assessment done on our elementary schools in 2007/2008. Results clearly show that our Parkdale students, who apparently were deprived of teacher collaboration, actually scored as well as, and often better than, comparable students in the larger elementary schools (obviously lots of collaboration). This factor is not at all essential and again, it’s a core assumption repeatedly drawn upon to justify closing our school.

It would be a very serious mistake indeed to close the Parkdale School. In fact, it is a prime school to be expanded upon now and/or in the future, not eliminated. The report even reluctantly acknowledges that it is, “one of the best of the four elementary school sites in the city”. It further acknowledges that our school is totally in league with all other great city schools to be well utilized over the next decade, and none of which are slated for closure as they all, like Parkdale, have the “essential” characteristics of a great school ! It is in fact the only downtown elementary school with adequate outdoor space, future development potential and a safe environment for our children. We will never again find another green school space like this in the downtown area so let’s really capitalize on this- not lose it,  for the well being of our current and future children.

The three recurring issues identified earlier remain problematic; 1)   mis-representing the future population base for our school by not acknowledging relevant community development and demographic tendencies that support our position; 2) lumping our school’s unique situation in with other schools and thus obscuring  unique factors in our situation that clearly support maintaining our school; 3) incomplete information and consistently overlooking internal contradictions and important facts that support keeping our school open.

All of these points really need to be more carefully considered. Many facts in the Report have been questioned by many people, including myself. These issues and questions need to be adequately considered and resolved  before any decisive action is taken. Let us resist the  temptation to simply eliminate the smallest school and  end up  losing the most valuable resource of all- the one and only adequate city green space we now have in our hands upon which we can develop an even better future school for our children! What do you want for your children?

Sincerely,

Lawrence McKnight- a very concerned Parkdale parent

And in trust for Joshua James Samuel McKnight, my Parkdale son

and his many friends who are now flourishing in the Parkdale School