Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is committed to providing equitable, affordable, and sustainable learning facilities for students. To address the numerous facets related to this mandate and to provide clear direction, HWDSB, led by Facility Services, has produced the Long-Term Facilities Plan (LTFP) to guide us in managing and improving HWDSB’s facilities.
The Long-Term Facilities Plan is meant support and promote the goals of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan, Board Improvement Plan, Human Rights Policy, Multi-year Accessibility Plan, Indigenous Education Circle Strategic Action Plan and other HWDSB Policies and Plans.
The LTFP is meant to be an online and living document with embedded links to websites and reports that will be updated on a regular basis. The goal is to ensure that the LTFP has current and relevant information beyond the date of its publication.
The document is broken down into three main sections which include: Planning and Accommodation, Capital Projects and Facility Operations. Each section represents one of the three departments that make up the Facility Services.
Guiding Principles
To ensure that Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) provides equitable, affordable and sustainable learning facilities, the following Long-Term Facilities Plan (LTFP) Guiding Principles have been created.
The Guiding Principles are the framework that Facility Services follow when completing capital project submissions, boundary reviews, pupil accommodation reviews, capital projects and long-term capital planning. All recommendations within the Long-Term Facilities Plan are intended to:
- Support quality and accessible learning, working, and teaching environments by maximizing opportunities to invest in new and improved sustainable school facilities.
- Maximize student accommodation within permanent purpose-built learning spaces. Ensure schools are constructed to meet the sustainable long-term accommodation needs of a neighbourhood (optimal utilization rates of school facilities are in the range of 90%-110%) while recognizing the use of temporary accommodations are required to accommodate peak neighborhood enrolment.
- Minimize transitions and impacts on students when implementing accommodation strategies.
- Provide innovative facility design which maximize students’ access to equitable, quality and collaborative educational learning spaces to support the elementary and secondary program strategies.
- Promote active and sustainable forms of transportation through planning, boundary creation and school site design while adhering to the HWDSB Transportation Policy on maximum travel time one way on a vehicle.
- Improve accessibility within our built environments as per the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan; providing environments that build independence, dignity, respect for students, families, the community, and staff and maximizes participation. Apply inclusive design principles by emphasizing dignity, inclusion, accessibility, barrier-free environments and meaningful participation of individuals and groups with diverse identities and varying levels of ability.
- Support the shared use of facilities by promoting opportunity of access for students and the broader community and seek opportunities for facility partnerships.
- Support collaboration through meaningful student, family and community engagement.
- Specific principles related to elementary and secondary panels.
Elementary
- School Capacity – optimal school capacity would be 450 to 650 students, which creates two to three classes for each grade.
- School Grade/Organization – Kindergarten to Grade 8 facilities.
- School Site Size – optimal elementary school site includes play fields, parking lot and building. For new site acquisition, optimal size approximately 6-8 acres and for existing schools, site size is based on local neighbourhood characteristics.
- In dual track schools, enrolment between French Immersion and English track should ensure that the balance supports ideal program delivery. i.e. There should be balance of French and English program enrolments to foster a successful learning experience for every student based upon HWDSB’s elementary program strategy.
Secondary
- School Capacity – optimal school capacity would be 1,000 to 1,400 students.
- School Site Size – optimal secondary school site includes a sports field, parking lot and building. For new site acquisition, optimal size is approximately 13-16 acres and for existing schools, site size is based on local neighbourhood characteristics.
*NOTE: The principles are intended to be guides to inform our work. Local parameters may influence the thresholds above (in #9).
Long-Term Facilities Plan
The Long-Term Facilities Plan (Full Report) is broken down into three sections with multiple subsections. Each section represents one of the three divisions that make up Facility Services. The document includes:
Introduction
This section provides the purpose and framework of the LTFMP and indicates the scheduled updates over next eight school years.
Guiding Principles
Section 1: Planning & Accommodation
1.1 – Community Profile: This section analyzes population, residential development, immigration and live birth trends and their potential impact on enrolment trends.
1.2 – Enrolment & Capacity Trends: This section summarizes student yields and apportionment rates along with historical and projected elementary and secondary enrolment.
1.3 – HWDSB Property: This section provides an overview of new Ontario Regulation 374/23: Acquisition and Disposition of Real Property, an overview of for sale, vacant and surplus HWDSB properties and an overview HWDSB’s Educational Development Charge by-law.
1.4 – Planning Areas: This section provides historic/projected enrolment, maps, facility information and a breakdown of historic and proposed accommodation strategies by elementary and secondary planning area. Planning areas allow for comprehensive and in-depth analysis of each area of the city.
1.5 – Facility Partnerships: This section provides an overview of HWDSB’s facility partnership initiative and schools with surplus space.
1.6 – Accommodation Strategy Schedule: The Accommodation Strategy Schedule recaps completed accommodation strategies since the 2021/2022 and outlines possible future accommodation strategies identified by staff. The Accommodation Strategy Schedule is broken down by planning area.
Section 2: Capital Projects
2.1 – Capital Projects Plan: This section reviews the Annual Capital Plan, elementary/secondary facility benchmarks, school design guidelines and capital funding received since 2012.
2.2 – Facility Assessment: This section provides information regarding how facility assessments are completed, and a description of the classifications used in facility assessment. This section also provides the facility assessment status of all HWDSB schools.
Section 3: Facility Operations
3.1 – Maintenance Plan: This section outlines HWDSB’s preventative maintenance plan.
Appendix:
Updated on Friday, June 28, 2024.