POLICIES AND REGULATIONS Policy #77
FACILITY PARTNERSHIPS
Statement of Policy
The Peel District School Board is committed to providing a safe and inviting environment that will encourage student achievement. In addition, the board recognizes that schools are a significant community asset and, therefore, supports partnerships with community groups and organizations which are consistent with the guiding principles below and which will:
- Reduce facility operating costs for school boards and government; and
- Provide a foundation for improved service delivery for communities.
It is understood that these partnerships will not impede the Board from building, renovating or closing schools nor from disposing of surplus assets when required.
Guiding Principles
Peel District School Board's Facility Partnership policy will apply to both Co-Build opportunities as recognized in growth areas and in area's of declining enrolment where there is under-utilized space. The following core principles will be used in consideration by the Board for identifying potential suitable partnership agreements:
Partnership Agreements Must:
- Comply with all existing Peel District School Board policies and procedures
- Not compromise the health and safety of PDSB students and staff
- Not compromise the student achievement strategy.
- Benefit our students and the surrounding community
- Enhance services available to students and is not in competition with the Board
- Maximize the use of public infrastructure through increased flexibility and utilization
- Strengthen relationships between the Board, community partners and the public
- Not result in any additional costs to the board;
Regulations
- Opportunities for Partnerships
Opportunities for partnerships for co-build and use of space within existing schools will be identified on an annual basis as part of the Annual Planning Document (APD) process.
Co-Build Opportunities
New schools, additions and significant renovations may be considered as opportunities for partnerships. The Board encourages community partners to provide expressions of interest to the board when they have sufficient funding and plans to move forward with a proposal. All expressions of interest from potential partners should be submitted by way of a letter to the Director of Education. The Board will evaluate each capital construction opportunity on a case by case basis to determine whether a partnership may be appropriate.
School Accommodation Review (Consolidation)
For space to be considered surplus, the Board of Trustees must declared the space to be surplus to the needs of the Board. Once declared, the space is no longer required for Board purposes and may be leased, sold or otherwise disposed of, subject to the Ontario Regulation 444/98 of the Education Act. If none of the agencies listed under Ontario Regulation 444/98 express interest in the space then with the approval of the Minister of Education the space may be offered through the notification process outlined below or sold publicly.
Under-Utilized School Space
Where the Board has suitable space for partnerships in an existing facility that is not declared surplus, the following process will apply. As part of the annual accommodation review, Planning and Accommodation Support Services will undertake an analysis of all schools to determine which school(s) may be eligible for partnerships. The analysis will include an assessment of short and long term enrolment projections, capacity levels, facility conditions and a review of existing uses. The factors for consideration in the analysis of suitable facilities are as follows, but not limited to:
- Facilities with 60% utilization or less for two years and/or that have 200 or more unused pupil places
- Ability to identify and create a distinct and contiguous space within the facility, separate from the students
- Space not required for Board programming or other uses
- Appropriate access to the space
- Parking availability
- Municipal land-use and bylaw requirements
- Site use restrictions.
The resulting list of proposed facilities will be submitted to the board for approval.
The Board will post information on it's website regarding it's intentions to build new schools; undertake significant renovations along with information pertaining to unused space in schools that is available for partnerships. A list of suitable facilities will be posted on the Board’s website and will be circulated to those entities identified on the Notification List via email. The notification list will consist of the following entities in descending priority order:
- French-language public district school boards
- English-language separate district school board
- French-language separate district school board
- Board of a Protestant separate school
- English language college
- French language college
- Universities
- Local municipality
- Regional municipality
- Provincial government
- Federal government
- Existing child care operators
- Other entities as requested.
The Board will host an annual public meeting to discuss potential partnership opportunities. The Board will notify the entities on the notification list about this meeting as well as post information regarding this meeting on the Board website. Those that are interested in being on the notification list or are interested in partnering with the Board to use existing space within a school or co-build are encouraged to contact the Board’s Community Use of Schools Outreach Coordinator.
Interested partners that meet the selection criteria outlined in the partner selection criteria below are invited to submit proposals for the use of under-utilized space and/or suitable facilities provided by the Board for co-building projects.
Partnerships will be evaluated based on how well the proposal meets the Partner Selection Criteria listed below. The Board will have full discretion when evaluating partners and their compatibility and suitability for each facility.
Selection Criteria
The Board will use the following criteria to evaluate proposed partnerships.
The partnership must:
- Respect the values of the Board
- Protect the health and safety of students and staff
- Be appropriate for the school/board setting
- Not interfere with school/board operations and activities
- Not contradict or compete with the educational mandate of the Board
- Exist on a cost-recovery basis to the Board.
The partner must:
- Provide financial statements showing financial viability of their organization
- Agree to operate in accordance with Board policies
- Be willing to enter into a lease, license, or joint-use/partnership agreement
- Agree to assume responsibility for the actions of its visitors to the board site
- Agree that all staff working within the school must complete a criminal background check with specific interest to vulnerable people.
- Cost-Recovery and Agreements
Cost-Recovery
In co-build or unused space partnerships, partners will be required to pay for and finance their share of construction, including a proportional share of joint-use or shared space if required. Partners will be charged fees to offset Board operational costs, administrative costs and property taxes (if applicable) for the space occupied by the partner. This will be done on a cost-recovery basis. Additional costs to obtain municipal approvals, perform renovations to protect student safety, provide appropriate washrooms, return the facility back to it's original state as part of the hand back process to the Board and to otherwise make the space suitable for use by facility partners will be the sole responsibility of the partner.
Agreements
The Board will provide clear instructions to potential partners regarding their rights and responsibilities as tenants, including maintenance standards and the applicability, or lack thereof, of board user policies, including accessibility and inclusiveness policies. The successful partner is expected to enter into agreements for the use of space within PDSB facilities. The Board will ensure that all legal agreements respect the Education Act and protect the rights of the school board. Agreements may contain clauses regarding, but not limited to the following:
- Term of the lease or license agreement
- Cost sharing
- Use of the leased premises
- Hours of operation
- Maintenance
- Compliance with legislation
- Improvements or alterations to the building
- Insurance/liability
- Environmental and energy efficiency matters
- Mediation in the event of conflict
- Circumstances in which the lease may be terminated by either party and/or other clauses as deemed applicable.
Partnership agreements cannot be finalized until both the board and the partner/s have an approved source of funding.
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