Ottawa’s public-school board is proposing adding Early French Immersion to Churchill Alternative School and Hilson Public School as part of a plan to balance enrolment at six elementary schools in Ottawa’s west end, but current students won’t have to change schools during the realignment of attendance boundaries. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will unveil its proposals for the West Central Accommodation Review at a public meeting Wednesday night, which the board says will balance enrolment and introduce new programming across neighbouring schools. The review looked at Broadview Public School, Churchill Alternative School, Elmdale Public School, Fisher Park/Summit Alternative Public School, Hilson Avenue Public School and Woodroffe Avenue Public School. The OCDSB is moving ahead with phasing out alternative programs at the four alternative schools, including Churchill School, and phasing out Middle French Immersion in schools. This is the proposal for the West Central Accommodation Review: The board says the new programs will begin with Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten and continue to add one grade per year. The board says there would be a “sibling legacy provision”, which would allow incoming Junior Kindergarten students who have an older sibling already enrolled at a school involved in the review to remain together. At the four other schools, the attendance boundaries will be realigned, but there will be no changes to the current programming. The OCDSB will grandfather in the changes to the boundaries to minimize disruptions and student movement, meaning students won’t have to change schools until they graduate. The phase-out of the Middle French Immersion and Alternative programs at Fisher Park/Summit Alternative Public School will continue as scheduled. According to the proposal, enrolment will drop below 100 per cent capacity at Broadview Public School between 2027 and 2029, while enrolment at Churchill Alternative School will increase from 41 per cent capacity in 2027 to 49 per cent in 2029. The OCDSB says parents and community members can provide input through the Engage OCDSB website until May 13. A final recommendation is expected in late May, and a decision will be made by OCDSB supervisor Robert Plamandon by the end of June.
