School boards plan for changing needs through a process called a Long-Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP). Long-Term Accommodation Plans are multi-year documents that guide us to make the best possible use of space available in our schools today and to plan for tomorrow. Read Niagara Catholic's 2024-2029 LTAP here.
Ideally, schools operate at or near their capacity – the number of students and staff they were built to hold. But sometimes they are under capacity (and have empty classrooms) or are over capacity (needing portables). When Niagara Catholic goes through an LTAP for a school or family of schools, we consider things like:
- Age/condition of the school
- Current enrolment
- Projected enrolment
- Space available
Long-term accommodation planning also includes:
School Boundary Reviews
This process is done by a committee and may lead to changing school boundaries so that schools nearby each other have more balanced populations. Community input is an important part of boundary reviews.
Pupil Accommodation Reviews
A Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) is also led by a committee. A PAR is required by the Ministry of Education before a school board is allowed to close or consolidate schools. Like a boundary review, community input is an important part of the process.
Capital Priorities Funding
Every year, Niagara Catholic submits a list of capital priorities to the Ministry of Education for consideration. They are the most urgently needed projects that require funding from the Ministry to be completed. This includes requests for new schools, or major renovations or additions to existing ones.