Media Project 1

TDSB Schools May Be at Risk of Closure

http://www.cp24.com/news/future-of-dozens-of-city-schools-to-be-determined-over-next-3-years-1.2229916

According to the Toronto District School Board, 40 percent of 130 schools could be closed and bulldozed. Decisions for this will be made Friday 13, 2014. This plan is to be determined over the next three years, if it has been accepted. There has already been 20 cases where schools have been bulldozed. School properties that were cleared have already been considered for sale and repurpose. Schools that are affected by this are from the poorer neighborhoods because they’re less than 65 percent full. This is a conflict between the TDSB and communities that may have a school being closed. The TDSB believes that these schools could be replaced to be in a socio-economic plan to help the economy. Parents and teachers know that if TDSB gets rid of these schools, then more than half of the schools that have child care centres will also be demolished but then again, they cannot afford to lose that. Teachers, parents and students of schools that are being closed will be notified on the following Monday - if the decisions has been accepted.

   I have personally been in a similar type of situation but, instead of having my elementary school being closed, half of the school’s population of teacher and students were going to be redirected to another new school (that would being built) because there were too many students attending it and, the school was not able to support us. This occurred two years before my grade students' graduation so, of course conflicts did arise. People that I have known since the school opened, were being sent somewhere else therefore; we wouldn't be able to graduate together. After a couple of school council meeting where they debated on the schools’ population separating - the school made their final decision. It was stated that, student who were going to graduate in the following three years will still attend Mount Royal but, the rest of the students who lived in a specific area will be redirected to the new school as well as specific teachers. I was lucky enough to be able to graduate with my fellow peers.

   As we can see, these two situations show that – on each end of the conflict there is always one side that will could/always have superior power (wealth) than the other. I believe the rate of decision making between the TDSB and the communities should be slowed down because the situation has not been clearly analysed. Overall, I've learned that not all conflicts are violence but, can be very controversial.