Re - fees for community groups at LDSB schools

Anne Howes, Gian Kaillon - GREC Parent Council | Nov 20, 2019

As members of the Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) Parent Council, we are submitting this open letter in support of our local community groups that are and will be affected by the recent charges implemented by the board for their use of our school. These groups include, but are not limited to, The North Frontenac Little Theatre (NFLT), Oso Township Recreational Committee (#4, #5), the local volleyball/badminton recreational clubs and the Heritage Committee. All these groups, at some point during the year, hold events within GREC in which the community is welcome to participate. Through this letter we hope to acknowledge that, living in a rural community, we lack larger facilities where events such as theatrical plays and sports may take place.

When looking back at the processes that were implemented by the PARC committee during the construction of GREC, it was our understanding that the community voice mattered, and their input was also valued and respected. Other groups such as The Lions Club, Rural Frontenac Community Services (RFCS), and other recreation groups (volleyball, badminton, soccer) were all told that “the school would become the community hub for the region”, “shared space open to the community” and “the new building would be convenient and encourage community use.” These statements clearly are not reflected in the introduction of fees that are now being charged to these groups and, as a direct result, will likely discourage, rather than encourage, community use of GREC facilities.

Prior to the construction of GREC, the Township of Central Frontenac was also approached by the board to possibly waive some of the building fees. With notable help from the PARC committee and their continuing support, to and from the community, council did waive some fees. Later, a thank you went out to the PARC committee for consulting with our community regarding future uses of the school, which the community greatly appreciated. We are also aware that the LDSB has also been approached by the Central Township Recreational Committee (4) concerning their use of the gym at GREC and, due to the implemented fees, they have yet to begin their volleyball season.

The NFLT is, and will be, profoundly affected by the implementation of such fees. We (and they) are aware that when weekend performances take place the board does incur additional costs due to the extra time required for the custodial staff. Promises were made to the NFLT during the construction of GREC (as they had previously always used the high school to hold their events). A consensual agreement was struck for the use of the theatre group lighting which is still being used in the cafetorium. Currently, these lights are used for various school events which include graduations, Remembrance Day ceremonies and teacher’s retirement parties, to name a few.

We, as parents and community members on this parent council, are continuously hosting fundraisers and events to help assist/offset costs that are not covered by our school board. This in turn reduces fundraising efforts that may be required on the behalf of teachers, staff and students so they are able to focus on enhanced learning, while enjoying the occasional field trip paid for by our parent council fundraised dollars. We, as parent council in a rural community such as Sharbot Lake, could not continue to have the success that we have fundraising without the support from our local community.

We regrettably understand that this fee structure has been implemented across the board. However, we, as parent council and official members of this community, hope that you will reconsider the collection of fees from our local community groups such as the NFLT. Please note that we live in a rural area with no other recreational facility available to our community and no other large venues to host events. We can only hope that the board members will reconsider the expectation of collecting fees from our community groups to use their own school. Not to mention the multifactorial impacts that these fees may ultimately have on families and children living in a rural community who like to be involved. It is our wish that the amount of fees being collected could be found elsewhere within your organization and not at the cost of this community that so graciously supports GREC.

In conclusion, we hope to either set up an official meeting between our members of parent council and members of the LDSB to further discuss this matter or, on a positive note, a letter indicating that we may proceed with notifying community groups that they may continue to use GREC at no cost. We look forward to your timely response.