[OPIRG-EVENTS] MARCH 22-23 - Schools for all of us

["tOM Trottier" <Tom@Abacurial.com>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Fri, 14 Mar 2003 09:00:18 -0500
From:           	Mitchell Beer <mlb@infolink.ca>
Subject:        	EVES WANTS TO CONSULT...LET'S GET STARTED MARCH 22-23

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====================

Our Schools, Our Communities presents:

Schools for all of us:
The school space our children need...and why

March 22-23, 2003
Ottawa City Hall

When we began organizing the SCHOOLS FOR ALL OF US conference, we had no
idea it would take place at such an opportune moment.

In the past couple of days, the Premier's office announced a province-wide
consultation on the Throne Speech that is due to be released at the end of
April. "A Speech from the Throne should be written by the people who will 
be
most affected by it, the people of Ontario," Eves said in a prepared
release.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by the school space crisis in
Ontario -- if your child has spent years attending classes in a portable, 
or
has gone through an unnecessary school closure -- this is your moment. The
SCHOOLS FOR ALL OF US conference will take place early in the Premier's
consultation period, and OSOC will ensure that a summary of discussions and
findings is forwarded to the province.

We need your knowledge, your ideas, your solutions, your participation. And
so, according to the Premier's announcement, does the government. Please
join a growing number of conference participants from Ottawa-Carleton and a
half-dozen other school boards and SIGN UP TODAY.

Schools for all of us:
The school space our children need...and why

March 22-23, 2003
Ottawa City Hall

Across Ottawa and across Ontario, the lack of adequate classroom space has
been one of the farthest-reaching results of the provincial government's
decision to systematically underfund education.

The school facilities crisis has forced hundreds of parents and trustees to
spend thousands of hours becoming experts on the province's student
accommodation formula, and on the front-line impacts of inadequate school
space. SCHOOLS FOR ALL OF US will be a unique opportunity for those
community experts to share their knowledge and find common ground on an
issue that may well be the first and worst crisis facing the province's 
next
education minister. As too many of us have learned over the years, common
ground is often difficult to find -- because the student accommodation
formula is designed to divide communities against one another, forcing
parents in different neighbourhoods to compete for their share of a
shrinking financial pie for school facilities.

* In many of the cities that help drive Ontario's economy, far too many
children in rapidly-growing suburbs are sandwiched into portable 
classrooms.
Here in Ottawa alone, more than 4,000 children attend school in portables,
while their parents and school trustees try to navigate the provincial
regulations that govern funding for new school construction.

* Meanwhile, downtown communities have been forced to fight for viable
neighbourhood schools, because provincial rules require school boards to
close "underused" facilities before they can build new classroom space 
where
it is needed. Hundreds of neighbourhoods in every part of the province have
faced the loss of schools that were well-used and well-loved as the
lifeblood of their communities. Many of them housed essential community
services that extended far beyond the end of the school day.

* In rural Ontario, children must now spend hours on a bus each day, due to
the loss of their only neighbourhood school.

* And when a community finally jumps enough hoops and receives provincial
funding to build a new school or renovate an older one, the money often
falls short of the actual cost of construction.

Through a series of plenary sessions and workshop discussions, SCHOOLS FOR
ALL OF US will be the first step in defining what we mean by adequate 
school
facilities funding. During the first day of the conference, participants
will build on a series of panel presentations to identify the key problems
with provincial funding for school facilities, then hone those concerns 
into
a series of key messages that represent the concerns of all stakeholders.
Along the way, the conference will come to grips with some of the key
questions that underlie the student accommodation crisis:

* How do we define the school space our children need? Is it just a 
classroom, or does a 21st century education mean adequate space for special
education, second-language instruction, school libraries, art and music
rooms, and other facilities?

* How will implementation of the Rozanski report affect the need for school
space?

* When school construction and renovation funding is inadequate, how do
school boards cope? Where do they cut corners, and what is the impact on
students?

* How did the forced amalgamation of urban and suburban boards force 
thousands of suburban children into portables, while depriving students in
downtown neighbourhoods of viable community schools?

* When all the information indicates that a school should close, how can
community views, and community data, and community priorities and
preferences be brought into the decision?

* How can the province solve the problem? More funding is needed, but are
there creative solutions that will draw some of the funding from other
ministries, other levels of government, and community service 
organizations?

* How can we turn these shared needs into common ground between urban,
suburban and rural parents, rather than allowing the province's school 
space
formula to divide us?

The second day of discussion will focus on strategy development for a 
provincial election that could begin within weeks -- or days   of the 
conference. The goal will be to arrive at a practical, affordable election
plan that is partisan for education, not for any political party.

Join us to make a difference for your child, your school, your 
neighbourhood, and for the millions of students across Ontario who are the
future of our province.

DRAFT CONFERENCE AGENDA

Day 1: March 22, 2003
The facilities we need...and why

0800            Registration opens

0840-0855       Welcome and introduction/process for the two days

0855-0920       Keynote speaker: Annie Kidder, Spokesperson, People for
Education
                 What do we need from our schools...and our school space?

0920-1020       Panel: The facilities we need: Where the student 
accommodation formula falls short

                 * Rural schools
                 * Suburban schools
                 * Core communities
                 * Construction and renovation funding under the formula

1020-1035       Refreshment break

1035-1150       Facilitated table or breakout discussions: Rural, suburban,
core communities

                 * What are the problems?
                 * What are our three basic messages for: school board
supervisors, trustees (present & future), city councillors, provincial
                   candidates and MPPs

1150-1205       Reports back from discussion groups

1205-1320       Lunch and keynote speaker: Councillor Alex Munter, City of
Ottawa
                 Schools at the heart of the community

1320-1505       Roundtable panel: Why we need school space

                 * Implications of the Rozanski report for school facility
needs
                 * Calculating a school's "functional capacity"
                 * The existing accommodation formula and its inherent
                 problems * Local long-term accommodation plans (LTAPs): 
How
                 they re 
developed and the problems they present
                 * Accommodating special needs
                 * Libraries, computer labs, and other specialized space *
                 Surrounding space: Playgrounds, phys ed, and physical 
safety

1505-1645       Table discussions, divided by topic (refreshments provided)

1645-1730       Reports back

Day 2: March 23, 2003
Last chance for education: Making our voices heard

08:15           Registration opens/light refreshments

09:00           Moderator's welcome

09:05           Keynote speaker: Marc Zwelling, Vector Research + 
Development Inc.
A snapshot of public opinion: Where do voters stand as the election 
approaches? How does education fit the broader picture?
                 Questions & discussion

09:40           Keynote speaker: Tom O'Brien, Canadian Federation of 
Nurses' Unions
Communicating to win: Affordable, effective media campaigns that work
                 Questions & discussion

10:15           Keynote speaker: Mary Hegan, public participation 
specialist
Community coalitions: Building networks and support from the ground up
                 Questions & discussion
(During the morning plenary, OSOC volunteers will collect participants'
strategy ideas on index cards and attempt to categorize them while the
discussion is under way, as a starting point for group discussions later
on.) 11:00           Refreshment break

11:20           Moderated breakout or table discussions
Participants break out by topic to discuss specific strategies for the
upcoming provincial election. Specific topics could include:
                 * General public awareness (including local brochures,
publications, Web sites)
                 * Community coalitions
                 * Media buys (and how to pay for them)
                 * Media events and publicity
                 * Other (based on group interest)

12:00/12:15     Reports back

12:30/12:40     Lunch: Regional caucuses

13:30/13:45     Reports back from regional caucuses

14:30/15:00     Conference concludes


REGISTER TODAY!

Please complete this form and return it to OSOC Conference Registration,
<dixiedog@idirect.com>, 657 King Edward Ave., Ottawa, ON  K1N 7N8. You can
send payment by mail or pay at the door.

Name:

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School/affiliation:

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Do you need information on local hotels (Y/N):

Interest (optional): Please list one or two of the most important things 
you
hope to learn or achieve by attending this conference.





Registration fee (includes two lunches, four refreshment breaks):

_____ Enclosed by mail          _____ Will pay at the door

FULL FEE:

_____ $40 for two days  _____ $25 for March 22 only     _____ $25 for March
23 only

STUDENTS/UNEMPLOYED/FIXED INCOME:

_____ $25 for two days  _____ $15 for March 22 only     _____ $15 for March
23 only

(A limited number of free registrations will be available upon request.
Please write to <dixiedog@idirect.com> for more information.)

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS E-MAIL FAR AND WIDE AND REGISTER TODAY!!

=========================
<mlb@infolink.ca>
Mitchell Beer
Past Chair 2002/03
Our Schools, Our Communities
P.O. Box 4804, Station E
Ottawa, ON   K1S 5H9
www.ourschools-ottawa.ca
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