A letter to the editor published in a newspaper and written by an Orillia secondary school teacher raised the issue of closing classrooms and double lunches at the Simcoe County District School Board meeting Wednesday night.

Trustee Debra Edwards kicked off the board’s first budget meeting by asking why trustees were not in the loop on the board’s proposed classroom closures and creating double lunches, which the letter to the editor said was already taking shape.

“It’s not the way to find out about a very dramatic change in the system which obviously is going to impact on students,” she said. “I take exception when I am part of the board and I am being condemned, and I had no discussion on the issue. I would have liked the opportunity to buy into this before I was hit with it in the community and in the newspaper.”

Director of Education Gord Campbell said he and board staff had held a private video conference with all secondary school principals explaining their budget shortfalls and getting feedback on the possibility of closing underused classrooms and converting to double lunches.

Campbell said the board went ahead and consulted principals before trustees, as in the past trustees had never been involved in switching a school to a double lunch.

“I cannot take responsibility for what an individual writes in the paper. It was certainly not based on any information that I provided to the individual,” he said. “All I can say is that we have done everything in this process to maximize the number of dollars that go to our student programs and student achievement.”

Campbell apologized for not speaking with trustees sooner, but said he assumed the discussion with principals had been in confidence.

The SCDSB is proposing to close 43 portables, 91 elementary school classrooms and 45 secondary school classrooms. Shutting the 45 secondary classrooms is the equivalent to shutting down a school the size of Barrie North Collegiate.  

Seven secondary schools could switch to a double lunch schedule.

The board can afford to make these changes due to declining enrolment.

Trustee Jodi Lloyd said she has already been contacted by many concerned parents about the issue.

She said while the board may have spoken with principals, they forgot to speak with their partners, with parents and students.

“I realize we are in difficult budgeting times and we are facing significant shortfalls. But we have failed, I believe, very badly in communicating with the communities we represent as to why we are making these changes or what is necessitating these changes.”

The changes would save the board $1.2 million from its operating budget.

Even with the savings, the budget is $1.6 million over the amount provided by the Ministry of Education.

The rest of the deficit would be made up in other areas of the overall budget.

Double lunches reduce the need for portables as well as open up specialty classes, such as science labs, to more classes.

Board staff also looked at boards of similar size throughout the province and found a majority of schools work off a double lunch schedule.

Trustees raised concerns over how switching to double lunches would impact extracurricular activity meetings, bus schedules, teacher office hours and other events that take place during lunch.

Trustee Diane Firman, who represents Bear Creek Secondary School, which currently has a triple lunch, said if double lunches are needed, so be it.

“You want phone calls? I’ve had phone calls for almost two years now about double lunch and triple lunch,” she said. “That’s the way it is. There is no choice. The principal has decided that is how they have to timetable and run their school for kids. It’s a reality … our staff will make it work.”

The seven secondary schools that could make the switch to double lunches are Twin Lakes Secondary School, Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Orillia Park Street Collegiate, Bradford District High School, Collingwood Collegiate Institute, Penetanguishene Secondary School and Barrie North Collegiate.

Though the decision to switch to double lunches and close classrooms is not been approved, principals at these schools have been asked to prepare for next year if this is implemented.