TORONTO – Sometimes our educational, school board “planners” miss the obvious. Put aside the cultural, skills educational environment they are to establish and nurture, if one can – we are talking about children, after all. In the case of Pope Francis in Kleinburg, it is about four-year-olds (12 of them) who should be in a Junior Kindergarten class with their neighbours and friends. Unfortunately, it won’t be the case. 

I remember taking my grandson to school in that important first week. Everything was fine until the separation moment. He welded himself to my leg for fear I would leave him. All the other parents had the same experience with their children.

The wizards at the YCDSB are transferring that separation moment to a minibus that will take them to schools five and six km away because “there is no room” for them at Pope Francis!

The Secretary-Director oversees Superintendents – well paid – who could not produce an alternative. Public school supporters have precedence in their [Catholic] school, apparently. By all means accommodate them. Take care of your own as well.

We published a picture of the site (above the article) that shows ample space to locate another temporary facility, a portable classroom. For some reason, Senior staff refuses to consider that option. The seventy-six parking spaces for staff vehicles apparently also supersede the needs of “little ones”.

Each one of those children represents a current and future annual income stream to the Board in Grants for Student Needs (GSN) of approximately $13,000 plus an additional 20% for capital expenditures. If parents of these children decide to keep their kids home or to send them to the competitor public system, the potential cost in foregone income over the school life of these children (fourteen years) could amount to circa $220,000 (valued at 2022) each; multiplied by twelve, the sum approaches $2.64 million.

Maybe it’s time to do the right thing.