Do NIMBYs run the TDSB?
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on the TDSB, and I’m open to having my mind changed, so if anyone has a convincing counter then lets hear it.
So do the NIMBYs run the TDSB? Well, if school zoning is anything too go by, it appears so. Below is the official home school boundary for Earl Haig Secondary School. If you have the good fortune to reside inside the grey shaded area, then your child will have the pleasure of attending a secondary school that received a Fraser Institute score of 8.6/10, placing it 21st out of 739 schools in the province. Pretty great!
But unfortunately if you happen to reside in one of those little cut outs, you’ll be off to Georges Vanier Secondary School. Their home school zone is below. Not to disparage Georges Vanier, it scores a 5.9/10 according to the Fraser Institute, this isn’t really about whether one school is better than the other.
So what is this? Are we gerrymandering school zones now? I am not too interested in launching an investigation into the history of these maps, but a quick look at those little cut outs tells a story.
All of the cut outs are medium and high density housing, and it looks pretty new. Off to google and we find an Earl Haig registration information document that states the policy:
Later in the document the policy is explained in more detail:
Students in grades 9-12 who move into newly constructed residential buildings of more than 4 units within this area built after December 2000 will be directed to schools other than Earl Haig S.S. Students in grade 9 will be directed to Woodbine JHS and students in grades 10-12 will be directed to Georges Vanier S.S.
So it excludes new construction, but only if there are 4 or more units. The net result is that we now have kids in higher density housing, walking (or driving) past the highly rated school, across the don valley, literally across the train tracks, to go to Georges Vanier. No doubt there will be capacity reasons for this, too many kids for Earl Haig, but why not just redraw the zoning? Just move the eastern boundary further west.
Or better yet, do what the Toronto Catholic District School Board does with secondary schools: no zones, but distance to the school is a factor in the admission process. You live closer to the school? You have a higher priority. Simple.
But clearly this would violate the holy NIMBY doctrine of ‘my house was here first’. When did it become the accepted thing for a piece of real estate to come with a school guarantee?
MASc. Candidate University of Toronto Dept. of Civil and Mineral Engineering
1 年Can the city of Toronto investigate this. It seems like TDSB is countering the city’s own densification policies.
Property Tax Expert - student at Real Estate Science
4 年Great observation Peter, but unfortunately a common issue for schools looking to preserve their budgets and hold pop increases at bay. Very similar to significant increases to basement apartments causing increased school populations without raising additional revenue from the tax base. The obvious alternative would be pay per student however many families would simply not be able to afford this hence no political changes to date. But what if SFD’s with apartments were charged an additional 1000-2000 annually to go towards schools? Small impact to landowners and greater quality schooling for all children.
Teacher at Toronto District School Board
4 年As a TDSB teacher, I just have to point out that NIMBYs in your title should be plural, not possessive.
Senior Consultant at Avanade
4 年This sign explains the situation quite well. TDSB can’t collect EDCs from new condos & other builds, putting them in the situation where they can’t support students from new developments. Sign Progress Toronto's petition if you want this to change. https://www.progresstoronto.ca/fund-our-schools
Donor Relations and Stewardship
4 年I so agree. We switched my daughter to the Catholic system in Toronto so she had her choice of which Performing Arts High School she wanted to attend. It has worked out great for her. She is thrilled, and she made friends from different communities around the city. Wallet size, street name doesn't matter.