CAPITAL PLAN Approved: September 27, 2016 Revised: February 11, 2020 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Near North District School Board Boundary ........................................................................................................................... 4 Demographic Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Our Community Partners ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Student Enrolment ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Facilities................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Grade Configuration and Programs ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Facility Condition .................................................................................................................................................................. 17 School Capacity Utilization .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Excess Capacity by School Configuration .............................................................................................................................. 19 Establishing Geographic Planning Areas ............................................................................................................................... 20 Funding ................................................................................................................................................................................. 22 North Bay Planning Area ....................................................................................................................................................... 24 School Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................................. 26 Planning Area Observations .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Possible Future Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 Almaguin Highlands Planning Area ....................................................................................................................................... 28 School Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................................. 30 Planning Area Observations .............................................................................................................................................. 30 Possible Future Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 30 Mattawa Planning Area ........................................................................................................................................................ 31 School Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Planning Area Observations .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Possible Future Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 West Nipissing Planning Area ............................................................................................................................................... 34 School Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Possible Future Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Parry Sound Planning Area ................................................................................................................................................... 37 School Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................................. 39 Planning Area Observations .............................................................................................................................................. 39 Possible Future Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Inventory of Non-School Properties ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................................................................. 41 1 | P a g e Executive Summary The Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is located in North East Ontario and encompasses the Districts of Nipissing and Parry Sound. The NNDSB currently operates 28 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools, and an Adult and Continuing Education Centre within its jurisdiction. Shifts in school-age population, escalating operating costs, prohibitive building renewal costs, aging buildings, and demands for relevant programming topped by changes to the capital funding model, have caused school boards to re-examine their long-term capital priorities. The Ministry of Education, through the School Board Efficiencies and Modernization Initiative-Consultation Summary (2014) has identified effective utilization of schools as an area of Capital Planning focus. Not unlike many other Boards in the Province, the NNDSB is experiencing declining enrollment. “The number of school aged children in Ontario has been decreasing in recent years, and enrollment is declining in 53 of 72 school boards.”1 In the NNDSB, secondary facilities are continuing to experience a decline in student enrollment, although the decline is not as steep as it has been in recent years, and is actually projected to level off in the foreseeable future. The projected decline in the elementary panel is now more significant than that of secondary, although both panels will see overall declines by the year 2028. Total enrollment for the 2018-2019 academic year is; 6,797 elementary students, with 3,161 secondary students, for a total number of 9,958 students in the Board. For the purpose of this Capital Plan, enrollment includes all students of the Board including students attending our schools through education service agreements. The NNDSB is an English language public school board that also provides, French Immersion and Extended French as well as Native Language programs in some elementary and secondary schools. Secondary Schools also offer a diverse range of Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) courses. In addition, the Board provides alternative, adult and community-based programs. Due to declining enrollment, secondary schools throughout the board have found it increasingly difficult to continue offering the wide range of programming that had been offered in the past. A potential benefit of having larger schools with larger staffs is that more diverse programming could be offered to students. The Capital Plan provides background information regarding right-sizing our board, by comparing student spaces against projected enrollment data. Currently, the Board has 5,455 surplus spaces and the utilization rate is 64.6% based on the 2018-2019 enrollment. Additionally, the Capital Plan will provide a picture of areas within the Board that are experiencing enrollment growth and decline. The Plan also includes enrollment projections, school renewal needs, school utilization, possible building consolidations and future recommendations for construction of new facilities and additions and/or renovations to existing facilities. Based on the data, the Capital Plan will, “forecast where new schools or additions may be needed; which schools will remain well utilized into the future; which open and operating schools may have unused space; and which schools may be candidates for consolidation or closure.”2 As part of the planning process, this information will also assist in identifying facilities that may be suitable for facility partnerships with respect to new construction and unused space in schools. Currently, the NNDSB operates 28 elementary schools. The Board has recently completed two projects that have resulted