Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Approves Peterborough City and County Accommodation Changes

Pete Fisher
11 hours ago
• Categories: Local

The Board approved a number of changes and adjustments at a meeting on December 10, 2024 for students as the Peterborough City and County Accommodation planning process concluded.

Peterborough City and County Accommodation Planning
In April the Board launched a broad consultation with families, students and staff, to consider the best ways to balance student enrolment in Peterborough City and County. Continued enrolment growth within the area has contributed to accommodation pressures with significant overcrowding in some schools and extra space in others.

To support high quality learning experiences and opportunities for all students, the Board held a series of community engagement meetings and online opportunities to consult on planning concepts, proposing changes to: school attendance boundaries, family of school groupings, grades/cohorts, and/or
programs.

“Student accommodation changes are complex and challenging for the Board, and for the communities we serve,” says Jaine Klassen Jeninga, Chairperson of the Board. “We thank everyone who participated in this extensive consultation and provided valuable input, either through our online platform or by attending one of the community engagement meetings.”

This evening the Board approved planning concept A.2. A summary of detailed changes and impacts by school is available here: https://www.kprschools.ca/media/mqnhhg2b/res-71-appendix-c1-concept-a2-impacts.pdf

Throughout the planning exercise, administration developed, refined and evaluated concepts based on the following principles:

providing high quality programs for all students

developing long-term, sustainable plans that balance enrolment

maintaining walkable routes to school, and

maintaining efficient transportation services.

“We appreciate that these accommodation changes are impactful for affected students, families and communities,” says Rita Russo, Director of Education. “These are difficult decisions, although we know that changes are necessary. We are committed to supporting successful transitions for all students involved in these adjustments, and we will be investing time and resources to ensure students continue to have access to rich educational programming in all KPR schools.”

To support successful student transitions, the Board also approved a motion for administration to seek to provide additional supports and resources for Kenner CVI, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
More information on changes for students and families will be shared directly with affected school communities.