The Ford government wants the power to force school boards to share space. How could that work?

These 900 students attend two different schools, run by two different boards — but they all learn in the same building.

Even though they have their own entrances, their classrooms are on the same floors and they share a gym, stage and library.

It takes organization and collaboration by the Toronto Catholic and public boards to keep things running smoothly, because the CityPlace setup — located near Spadina Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West — also includes a city community centre and child care.

It’s a model the provincial government is looking to replicate — and in some cases, force — under new legislation that would allow the education minister to order boards to share space, while also encouraging better co-ordination and partnerships with municipalities.

“It actually gives the schools access to facilities that we would not normally have,” said acting principal Lorraine Van Zon of Bishop Macdonell Catholic School, which is located on the same site as Jean Lumb Public School in the Canoe Landing project.

“A school has a gym — here we have a lower gym and an upper gym, and the upper gym is divided into two separate spaces … Being connected to the city provides us with more resources” and the schools are often included in city-run activities such as gardening projects, she added.

There are about 40 shared space situations across the province — including Renfrew County District School Board’s Whitney Public School that for the past six years has operated under the same roof as the Catholic elementary school St. Martin’s of Tours. That partnership allows Whitney students to attend classes close to home and not have to be bussed more than half an hour away to Barry’s Bay, as was under consideration at one point.

The province is holding consultations on changes in its newly proposed Bill 98, The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, which would give the province expanded powers over school board matters in everything from surplus property sell-offs to student achievement targets.

The new legislation, tabled last Monday, would give the education minister the power to “direct two or more boards to enter into an arrangement with each other for the joint construction, ownership, control, management, maintenance, operation, location or use of a school site, part of a school site or other property of a board.”

While boards say they aren’t opposed to such projects, the government’s move has raised concerns.

“We are willing to enter into discussions when it makes sense … but combining and sharing is only one way to solve some of the issues,” said Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, urging the government to lift its ban on school closings to allow boards to better manage those that are underenrolled.

“That will be part of our feedback for the consultations,” Abraham added. “This is part of why it’s important to have locally elected trustees. We know our communities and we believe that we are the best people to make those kinds of decisions.”

On Monday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce noted there have been “many examples of boards not perhaps being as collaborative as they should be, given that the taxpayer paid for the asset, for the school. So this is about reimagining how we repurpose our schools for learning and how ultimately we make sure schools are more available in communities, particularly in growing communities that need schools yesterday.”

He said boards will be required to work with their municipalities as well.

“I’m requiring some form of a collaboration with the school boards to work together … (to) break down the silos,” Lecce told reporters.

Patrick Daly, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, said he was pleased to see the legislation acknowledges the constitutional denominational rights of Catholic school boards — addressing concerns about the loss of the Catholic system with any such changes — and welcomes consultations “because obviously the details matter a lot.”

Currently, there are a few different shared-space models, including a high school/public library combination, or a school and a community pool.

“There are a number of examples throughout the province where Catholic boards moved ahead, and it’s been beneficial … and there is some shared use between French and English boards as well,” he said.

Pino Buffone, director of education for the Renfrew County public board, said it began discussions with the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic board when each ran an elementary school in Whitney, located about two kilometres apart, and both were underenrolled.

“It can be on multiple fronts that you consider sharing spaces,” said Buffone. “And that’s where the Whitney community said, ‘The kids all know each other here and rather than putting them on the bus to Barry’s Bay, would the board consider some other alternative?’ And that’s when boards can get into this kind of a conversation.”

Because the Catholic elementary school was the better facility, the Whitney school building was claimed for a health-care facility, and Whitney school became a tenant of nearby St. Martin’s.

The 75 or so students — that’s the total, at both schools — share the same entrance, which does have images of the cross. The public students have a principal and their own office staff but schedules for the two schools are fairly similar.

Sometimes staff collaborate — maybe sharing a big trip — but “by and large respecting each district’s way of running things.”

Assemblies may overlap — or a recent, schoolwide focus on kindness — but anything with religious overtones is for the St. Martin’s students only.

The only challenge that arose was with transportation, given Renfrew County shares busing with another Catholic board whose boundaries more closely overlap, so there were days that transportation was cancelled for Whitney students, but not St. Martin’s.

At Bishop Macdonell, students have a different start times, lunchtimes and dismissal than those at Jean Lumb. Administrators meet monthly to brainstorm and collaborate.

“I will say all partners have to be highly organized,” said principal Van Zon. “But with that organization, you have the benefits of using everyone’s brains and skill sets … It’s quite lovely.”

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