WHAT WE WANT - YES WE CAN!!!

My name is Martin Hogan. As a parent and former educator I am concerned with the impact that the 
influx of students caused by the Proposed Development at 2900 Warden Ave. will have on the schools 
in the area. I believe that present parents and potential future parents should be aware of possible 
conditions that may face their children in the future in their quest for quality education.

According to the data released by the Toronto District School Board to the Area City Planning Group 
on January 7, 2009 , most of the schools in this immediate are  operating at or above capacity. 
I believe that any parents present whose children attend Beverly Glen Jr. PS, Brookmill Blvd. Jr. PS, 
David Lewis PS, Kennedy PS, Terry Fox PS (to name a few) are all too well aware of the effect of 
overcrowding in their children's schools. Those with children in Secondary Schools are probably 
aware that all of these institutions are operating well beyond 100% capacity. The TDSB states that 
an elementary school is "at capacity" when its utilization rate is 80% and a secondary school at 90%.
The above mentioned schools are all above 100%(some at 120% and greater) and most are projected to 
remain so through 2012.

The data provided to the City Planning Group should serve as irrefutable evidence that the density 
of the existing area is stretching our educational institutions beyond capacity to provide viable 
results.  We question how an additional 1370 residential units with a possible 500 or more students 
could be accommodated in these already overcrowded schools.  Let us ponder possible solutions:

 1) Building New Schools --not likely considering recent TDBS budget constraints.

 2) Redefining Boundaries to move students to schools with lower enrollment - a definite possibility. 
    Do you parents want to see your children removed from the local area and required to walk (or be 
    driven) through busy traffic to reach a remote destination when your local school is within a 
    safe walking distance. Not everyone will be able to provide transportation for their children 
    and walking would be the only alternative. 

 3) Bussing to an area some distance away to fill low enrollment schools - also a definite possibility. 
    This presents an additional element of risk in your children's daily lives.

 4) Placing Restrictions on New Homeowners by informing them that their children will be required to 
    attend schools elsewhere.  This I believe has been attempted at Kennedy PS (but has not been found 
    to be enforceable) because parents refused to enroll their children out of their area. For several 
    years this and other schools have been required to scramble to keep up with their ever increasing 
    population using portables with their inherent potential health risks.

The question now is "What do we want?" (We being the residents I propose to represent).  We want 
schools that are not overcrowded so that our children can receive the quality of education they deserve. 
We want growth to be controlled so that the TDSB can effectively plan and deal with present population 
density without excessive increases that will result in future educational disasters.  We want future 
development in this area to be sensitive of the educational needs and limitations of the area.  Above 
all we want what is best for our children since they represent our future.