TCDSB Policy Register       

(1) A number of legislative provisions encourage school boards to consider alternate arrangements for the accommodation of elementary and secondary school pupils to the usual arrangement under which a school site is acquired and a stand-alone school is built on it.

(2) Ontario Regulation 20/98 provides that the education development charge background study contain:

6. A statement of the board’s policy concerning possible arrangements with municipalities, school boards or other persons or bodies in the public or private sector, including arrangements of a long-term or co-operative nature, which would provide accommodation for the new elementary school pupils and new secondary school pupils estimated under paragraph 3 of section 7, without imposing education development charges, or with a reduction in such charges.

7. If a previous education development charge background study completed by the board included a statement under paragraph 6, a statement of how the policy referred to in the statement was implemented and, if it was not implemented, an explanation of why it was not implemented.

(3) Regulation 446/98 (Reserve Funds) permits a school board to utilize proceeds in the Pupil Accommodation Allocation Reserve Fund for the acquisition of "school sites that are acquired as part of transactions under which the board also acquires school buildings on the school sites".

(4) Section 210.1 of the Municipal Act authorizes municipalities and school boards to enter into arrangements under which they can provide for exemptions from taxation for municipal and school purposes of land or a portion of it that is "entirely occupied and used or intended for use for a service or function that may be provided by a "school board" or municipality". It also authorizes an exemption to be given from municipal and education development charges in certain circumstances.

(5) The TCDSB recognizes that alternative arrangements can provide an opportunity to improve service delivery and peak enrolment capacity, reduce duplication of public facilities, maximize the effective use of available dollars, and reduce site size requirements. These include a variety of acquisition strategies such as forward buying, options, purchases, lease buy-back, sites exchanges and joint venture partnerships.

(6) The TCDSB’s record demonstrates this commitment:

POLICY

The TCDSB will consider possible arrangements with municipalities, school boards or other persons or bodies in the public or private sector, including arrangements of a long-term or cooperative nature, which would provide accommodation for the new elementary school pupils and new secondary school pupils who are resident pupils of the Board, subject to the Regulations set out below.

Regulations

(1) The arrangement must be cost effective and advantageous for the TCDSB compared to other possible arrangements including an acquisition of a school site and the construction of a free standing building.

(2) The arrangement shall comply with any guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

(3) The TCDSB may enter into lease arrangements respecting school facilities intended to be used to accommodate peak enrolment, but shall not enter into such arrangements respecting school facilities that are necessary to accommodate long-term enrolment unless the arrangements could result in ownership at the Board’s discretion.

(4) The TCDSB shall retain sufficient governance authority over the facility to ensure that it is able to deliver the appropriate educational program to its pupils, and to ensure that its identity, ambience and integrity are preserved.

(5) The facility shall have a separate entrance with the school name on the exterior of the school easily visible from the street."

BM p. 20 Jan 2000