C-04 Community Planning and Facility Partnerships

The primary responsibility of the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) is to provide quality education to students in facilities that are safe, secure and being used in an efficient manner. The DSBN also believes that co-operative and collaborative partnerships are part of the foundation of a strong, vibrant and sustainable publicly funded education system. In order to maximize the efficient use of facilities and recognize the role of partnerships, the DSBN will work with community partners to share facilities in a manner that will benefit both parties. These facility partnerships will not prevent the DSBN from building, renovating or closing schools or from disposing of surplus assets when required.

Intent

The intent of Facility Partnerships is:

• To reduce facility operating costs
• To improve services and supports available to students
• To strengthen the relationships between the DSBN and community partners and the public
• To maximize the use of public infrastructure
• To provide a foundation for improved service delivery for communities

Opportunities for Facility Partnerships

Through the planning process, the DSBN conducts ongoing accommodation analysis of all schools under the DSBN’s jurisdiction. This information will assist the DSBN in identifying facilities that may be suitable for facility partnerships with respect to availability of underutilized space within existing schools or co-build opportunities when undertaking new construction or significant renovations. The analysis includes enrolment projections, school capacity, renewal needs, potential consolidations, construction or renovations. Facility Partnerships are distinguished from Community Use of Schools in that Facility Partnerships allow the DSBN to enter into agreements that grant partners exclusive use of underutilized space within an identified school, potentially during instructional hours, whereas Community Use of Schools allows rental of space, outside of instructional hours, that is otherwise required for the DSBN’s purposes.  

The determination of which facilities are suitable and not suitable for facility partnerships, which entities are eligible partners, and when to enter into a facility partnership requires the approval of the Associate Director of Education, Corporate Services. All facility partnership inquiries must be directed to the Senior Manager, Community Education and Community Partnership Services.

Criteria for Partnerships

The DSBN considers the value of the partnerships to students when applying the following criteria in vetting partnerships:

• The health and safety of students must be protected
• Partnerships must be appropriate for the school setting
• Partnerships must not compromise the student achievement strategy
• Partnerships will uphold and respect the values of the DSBN
• Entities providing competing education services such as tutoring services, JK–12 private schools or private colleges, and credit offering entities that are not government funded, are not eligible partners

Co-building Opportunities

New schools, additions and significant renovations may be considered as opportunities for facility partnerships. The DSBN will strive to notify potential partners of opportunities to partner 1 to 3 years prior to the potential construction start date. The DSBN does not have to have a funding source or Ministry approval to solicit partners for co-building opportunities, but partnership agreements will not be finalized until both the DSBN and the partners have an approved source of funding. The DSBN encourages community partners to provide notification to the DSBN when community partners have proposals or plans to build their own new facilities.

Underutilized Space Versus Surplus Space

If the space is both suitable for facility partnerships and is available for the long-term, the DSBN will consider whether the space should be declared surplus and circulated for lease through Ontario Regulation 444/98.

If the space is suitable for facility partnerships but is not declared as surplus to the DSBN’s needs by the Board of Trustees, the DSBN will evaluate its potential to support a facility partnership.