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Reducing the number of Sarnia elementary schools

Overcrowding and student impact
"Fewer schools means larger classroom numbers and personally I hate this idea! My kids attend a school where they have about 25-30 kids in their classroom now. 2 years ago they had 18-23."

Funding and resources
"If closures are to occur, they should be thought out, planned well in advance, and communicated to all affected in the neighbourhood(s). It's hard to change schools. If there is a likelihood of closure, it is important parents know this in advance of sending their child there."

Support consolidations
"Having fewer buildings to heat and repair will allow for more services and supports for the buildings that remain open. The school board will be able to maintain and modernize the schools that remain open. They will be able to allocate funds for new books for schools."

Balanced school population
"I believe minimum and maximum student caps need to be put in place for elementary schools to prevent them from becoming too large or small. If schools become too large - even when classroom caps are maintained - logistics become less manageable and students may feel lost in the crowd."

Staff and EA support
"I hope the school board will maintain the same number of EAs and behaviour supports for students and teachers. That will make everyone feel supported. All students deserve as much help as we can give them. Students whether strong or weak need to feel valued and challenged. We need to give our best."

Consolidating French Immersion programming in Sarnia schools

Benefits of single track FI
"Single track FI schools could offer a more rich French environment because students and staff will be more likely to use French in all situations. Using French outside of classroom time will help students acquire the language. Speaking French will be expected during recess, lunch, inside/outside."

Benefits of dual-track FI
"If a family with multiple children opts to remove a child from the FI program for some reason, their children would attend separate schools. This may impact parental involvement at school, affect transportation issues, etc. Also, siblings would be separated from one another."

School location and transportation
"I think this is a great idea so long as they are located so kids don't have to travel too far."

Funding and resources
"Oui!! In my experience in this field we need to consolidate our resources and staff into one school. This would probably eliminate some split classes."

Support single-track FI
"I think this is a great idea. There should a one or two schools that are just FI."