Ottawa-Carleton District School Board walks back some grade structure changes as part of program review

The OCDSB has released a revised proposal of changes to elementary school grade structures and boundaries following massive backlash from parents. CTV’s Natalie

Ottawa’s largest school board says it won’t go ahead with some of its proposed changes to the grade structures of some of its schools amid a major overhaul of its elementary program offerings.

A new report, released Thursday morning, outlines some changes to the proposal for grade structures and school boundaries in response to significant backlash from parents across the city.

“All of the feedback received, including in-person and/or on-line options, email and otherwise, was carefully reviewed and considered in the context of the desired outcomes and whether changes could be made in some areas of the District without compromising the overarching principles underpinning the review,” the OCDSB report says. “As a result, the initial proposal has been revised to respond to the feedback received. In some cases this means undoing the proposed changes and leaving school boundaries, program offerings and grade configurations status quo; in other cases, it means making adjustments to the proposed boundaries, for example, to preserve traditional community ties within neighbourhoods.”

Initial plan

The initial plan, released in March, outlined changes to the grade structure at 30 schools and changed the boundaries of more than 100 schools. The new plan calls includes revisions in program offerings, grade configurations and/ or phasing and/or attendance boundaries at 47 schools. The grade structure will change at 17 schools, while 14 schools will have proposed grade structure changes reversed.

The elementary program model presented for discussion at the Jan. 21 Committee of the Whole meeting remains the proposed model, the OCDSB says. The proposed program model would continue to provide kindergarten students with a 50/50 bilingual program; students in Grades 1 to 8 would have a choice between two program pathways: Enhanced English (EE) and French Immersion (FI). Middle French Immersion (MFI) is being phased out.

Revised plan

The revised plan walks back the grade structure changes in 11 neighbourhoods:

• Alta Vista/Elmvale Acres
• Britannia/Queensway Terrace North and South/Carlingwood
• Carson Grove/Beaconwood/Beacon Heights
• Centretown/Centretown West
• Convent Glen/Chapel Hill/Châteauneuf/Mer Bleu
• Greenboro/South Keys/Sawmill/Blossom Park
• Highland Park/McKellar Park
• Kanata North
• (Former) Rideau Township
• Trend Arlington/Craig Henry/Manordale-
• Wisteria Crescent/Windsor Park/Uplands/Hunt Club

This will result in changes to previously reported grade structure alterations at the following schools:

• Alta Vista Public School will remain JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI)
• Arch Street Public School will remain JK to Grade 6 (EE)
• Charles H. Hulse Public School will remain JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Featherston Drive Public School, will remain JK to Grade 8, (JK-6 EE, FI, 7-8 EE, 4-8 MFI)
• Hawthorne Public School will remain JK to Grade 8 (EE)
• Henry Larsen Elementary School will remain JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI, MFI)
• Kars on the Rideau Public School will remain JK to Grade 8 (JK-6 FI, 7-8 EE/FI, 4-8 MFI)
• Pinecrest Public School will remain JK-8 (EE, FI)
• Pleasant Park Public School will remain JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Regina Street Alternative School will remain JK to Grade 6 (Alternative, EE, FI)
• Riverview Alternative School will remain JK to Grade 6 (Alternative, EE, FI)
• Roberta Bondar Public School will remain JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI)
• Severn Avenue Public School will remain JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Woodroffe Avenue Public School will remain JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI)

Grade structure changes will be brought in to the following schools:

• Bayview Public School, currently JK to Grade 4, will become JK to Grade 3 (EE, FI)
• Blossom Park Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, MFI, FI)
• Carson Grove Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Emily Carr Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become Grades 7 and 8 (EE, FI)
• Forest Valley Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Glen Ogilvie Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Goulbourn Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become JK to Grade 8 (JK-8 (EE,FI), 7-8 MFI, 7-8 G.ENG)
• Henry Munro Middle School, currently Grades 6 to 8, will become Grades 7 and 8 (EE, FI)
• Le Phare Elementary School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (FI)
• Manotick Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Metcalfe Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• North Gower/Marlborough Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE)
• Richmond Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Robert Hopkins Public School, currently JK to Grade 5, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• South March Public School, currently JK to Grade 6, will become JK to Grade 8 (EE, FI)
• Steve MacLean Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Vimy Ridge Public School, currently JK to Grade 8, will become JK to Grade 6 (EE, FI)

There are four schools in the board that will offer only Enhanced English, with no French Immersion programming: Arch Street Public School, Dunlop Public School, Hawthorne Public School, and North Gower/Marlborough Public School. Enhanced English still offers 240 minutes per week of French instruction.

There will be six French Immersion only schools: Devonshire Community Public School, Lakeview Public School, La Phare Elementary School, Mutchmor Public School, Pleasant Park Public School, and Severn Avenue Public School. French Immersion will increase its proportion of English instruction from 20 per cent to 40 per cent for Grade 1 only under the proposed changes.

The board also says the revised plan will mean fewer renovations will be required as a result of changes to grade configurations.

Boundary changes

The OCDSB also says it is making adjustments to some of the proposed boundaries “to preserve traditional community ties within neighbourhoods.”

While the initial plan warned 11,000 students could be on the move under the proposed changes, the report says approximately 9,500 students will have to change schools under the proposed changes.

School locator

A revised school locator can be found at the OCDSB’s website.

Middle French Immersion (MFI) and Alternative programs will be phased out over time. Students will not be able to enroll in these programs as of September 2026, but students already in the MFI and Alternative pathways will be able to remain until Grade 8.

“MFI programs will, in the majority of cases, remain at their current school locations during the phase-out period. However, there will be situations where it is necessary to relocate an MFI program effective September 2026 as part of the broader school configuration changes. It may also become necessary to consider additional program consolidation/relocation options during the phase-out period due to enrolment trends over time, for instance,” the report says.

“Current attendance boundaries for Alternative will remain in place during the phase-out period although it may become necessary to look at consolidation/relocation options in future years based on enrolment trends over time, for example.”

Specialized programs

A total of 116 specialized program classes will be continuing, including autism spectrum disorder, behaviour intervention, deaf/hard of hearing, and developmental disabilities classes, dual support program, junior and intermediate general learning, junior gifted, physical support program and, primary special needs. Twenty-six classes in the primary gifted program, the language learning disabilities program (primary and junior), and the learning disabilities semi-integrated program (junior and intermediate) will be discontinued.

“The proposed shift will take a phased and measured approach, ensuring access to appropriate and timely interventions that are responsive to the unique needs of each student. The resources currently committed to supporting these SPCs will be reinvested to support learning in standard classrooms,” the board says.

In order to give parents and caregivers time to review and respond to the proposed revisions, the board will be having an additional opportunity for delegations specifically on aspects of the revised proposal on April 22.

Final recommendations

The final recommendations are tentatively scheduled to be presented at the May 6 Committee of the Whole, for approval at a Special Board meeting on May 13.

Director of education at OCDSB, Pino Buffone, says “I have to credit our planners who have gone back to the table, and looked at the multifaceted nature of this and tried to bring forward not a perfect solution, but a revised proposal that we think covers the vast majority of the issues that were given to us in the feedback.”

Parent William O’Neill has a six-year-old who’s in Grade one and a four-year-old who will be starting junior kindergarten in the fall. O’Neill says they were “relieved,” citing convenience and community factors.

“We liked the school. We liked the neighborhood. We liked the ability to walk the kids to school. It has nothing to do with any of the other schools themselves. I think they’re all fine schools. It’s just that one is right there, and we’re used to it, and we’re used to the community here,” O’Neill said.

“There’s a lot of young children in this neighborhood. It’s a great neighborhood that way.

“I did write a few letters to various levels of government, though, and expressed my concerns that way.

“there’s the convenience factor, but also the community factor. Just keeping the kids in this neighborhood, at the school, in this neighborhood”

Elementary Program Review amendments

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy