Schools:

Colonel John Butler
Phone:(905) 468-7512
Address: 565 East West Line,N-O-T-L L0S 1J0
CJB@dsbn.edu.on.ca

Parliament Oak
Phone:(905) 468-4253
Address:325 King Street, N-O-T-L L0S 1J0
POA@dsbn.edu.on.ca

St David’s
Phone:(905) 262-4533
Address: 1344 York Road,St. Davids L0S 1P0
SDA@dsbn.edu.on.ca

Virgil
Phone:(905) 468-7793
Address: 1665 Creek Rd. Box 149,Virgil L0S 1T0
VIR@dsbn.edu.on.ca

St. Michaels Schools
Phone: 905.684.1051
Fax: 905.684.5521
Address:387 Line 3, RR #2 ,Niagara on the Lake, ON L0S 1J0

Niagara Nursery School
Phone: 905-468-5357
Address: Kinsmen Scout Hall, 430 King St
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0

Niagara District
Phone:(905) 468-3293
Address:1875 Niagara Stone Road,N-O-T-L L0S 1J0
NDS@dsbn.edu.on.ca

ARTICLES on NOTL Schools

Campus to cost $35 million Eddie Chau, Niagara This Week June 13, 2008 The cost of building an elementary school and high school at the Niagara District Secondary School site would cost $9 million more than what school supporters estimate, says a school board official. At Tuesday's District School Board of Niagara meeting, Doug Durant, the board's plant services controller, said the total cost of constructing a campus education centre on the NDSS site is $35.3 million. Durant compared the cost to the $26 million projected by Friends of NDSS, the parent-based school support group which proposed the campus plan. Durant said the extra $9 million included such costs as construction, demolition, school furnishings and taxes, things not included in the Friends' plan. "We used a professional consultant. All costs were generated based on the consultant," Durant said. "We based it on space requirements for a new school with additions modelled from Ministry of Education standards. We applied the same criteria to the campus plan, and when all added up it will cost $35 million." When comparing the costs of building a new elementary school to a new high school, Durant said the cost for a secondary school would be 10 per cent higher than elementary because the school would require 30 to 40 per cent more space for specialized classes such as shop or family studies. For close to a year, an Accommodation Review Committee has examined the elementary schools and high school in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The schools face closure due to several factors including low enrolment and aging facilities. The ARC suggested having three elementary schools and one high school in NOTL. Senior staff recommended keeping the elementary schools, but closing the town's only high school. Since the April announcement of NDSS' possible closure, the community has banded together to keep the school open. Events have included public meetings, rallies and advertising campaigns. Tuesday night's meeting was the first real chance trustees had to discuss the accommodation review. The trustees who spoke thought highly of having thriving elementary and high schools in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pelham and Thorold trustee Gary Atamanyk suggested keeping NDSS in operation in September 2009 and spending $2 million on renovations with full programming options guaranteed for a 400-student population for a 10-year period. Port Colborne and Fort Erie trustee Gregg Dame suggested to the board that Parliament Oak should be consolidated with Virgil and Colonel John Butler schools in one elementary school on the NDSS site. "It would be a shot in the arm if we don't include them," he said. St. Catharines trustee and DSBN vice-chair Marcy Heit said all this time the board has looked at the cost of building a new high school when there is no funding for it. Heit said with all the talk on expenses, what is the expense of not having a high school in the community. "What is the expense of what's gone and can't go back in the community," Heit asked trustees and senior staff. "Those who chose to stay (at NDSS) had a number of reasons. We should focus on trying to get as many as possible to attend the school. (The school is) in a community that still wants it to stay in operation." Heit said even if she sees the sea of Trojan Army T-shirts in the crowd, realistically it won't make the costs go away. "We can't (eliminate) that debt if the students aren't there," she said. Chair Kevin Maves said discussion on the accommodation review will continue June 17.