Despite some hesitation over cost, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is moving forward with the renaming process of a dozen schools.
Trustees voted 7-6 Tuesday night in favour of launching community consultation sessions over the next two years.
Gathering of public input surrounding the renaming of the schools comes with a cost of nearly $50,000.
“The total cost is estimated at $47,346.50 to be incurred incrementally over a period of two years,” said Andrea Marlowe, the board’s human rights policy advisor.
She told trustees the consultation plan includes two components – an online community input opportunity open to the entire Thames Valley community and an in-person community engagement session for each individual school.
The 12 schools facing potential name changes were identified during a sweeping review of all building and facility names within the board in 2021. A review committee was tasked with identifying schools with names that don’t reflect the board’s commitment to promoting human rights, equity, and inclusive learning environments for all students. The review came in the wake of the decision to rename Ryerson public school on Waterloo Street after parents raised concerns about its namesake, Egerton Ryerson, being one of the architects of the residential school system. In January, trustees voted unanimously to rename the school Old North public.
Since then the decision was made to find new names for Sir John A. Macdonald and F.D. Roosevelt elementary schools in northeast London. Community members will be able to weigh in on a new name for those schools this winter. The plan to hold similar public input sessions for the 12 other schools was initially deferred so that a financial implication report could be compiled.
At Tuesday’s meeting, two trustees spoke out about the plan to move forward with the community consultations due to the associated price tag to do so.
“I am expressing a concern about the costs being spent, not because I disagree with the reason [for the renaming] but because I am aware of competing priorities which are in discussion and am concerned about how we are prioritizing the work that we are doing,” said Trustee Beth Mai.
Her comments were followed by Trustee Marianne Larsen who wanted to be clear why she wouldn’t support the motion.
“It is not because I think community consultation isn’t important,” said Larsen. “But given the times that we are living in with inflation and the high cost of many things… I am not convinced this would be a good use of our spending and expenditure at this time. Perhaps later, but not at this moment.”
The online input sessions and in-person consultations will begin next fall and continue until the spring of 2025.
The schools up for renaming with community input include:
• Lord Elgin P.S.
• Lord Nelson P.S.
• Lord Roberts F.I.P.S.
• Prince Charles P.S.
• Princess Anne French Immersion P.S.
• St. George’s P.S.
• McGillivray Central P.S.
• Victoria P.S.
• Sir George Etienne Cartier P.S.
• Lord Dorchester S.S
• Montcalm S.S.
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier S.S.
