WATCH: TDSB may force private school in Don Mills to close. Mark McAllister reports.
TORONTO – Parents and administrators at a Don Mills private school are scrambling to find ways to save their building after it was recently designated surplus by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and scheduled for sale.
La Citadelle International Academy of Arts and Science is a private French school in Don Mills near The Donway and Lawrence Avenue East. It’s operated for 13 years out of schoolhouse it leases from the TDSB.
In June, Alfred Abouchar, the Headmaster and founder of the school, received a letter from the school board notifying him that his lease – scheduled to end in 2017 – would be cancelled in June 2014 and the property would be sold.
“I hadn’t been informed prior to the decision of the board; the community has not been consulted. We didn’t know anything about it,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
The TDSB is trying to make over $150 million by selling property in order to pay for much needed programs, rebuilding and renovations.
Bolton said the TDSB is working with the city to reassess the value of its properties in order to get as much money as possible. The more money gained through sale, he said, the less property needs to be sold.
But “the biggest issue” in selling off surplus property, Bolton said, is consulting with the community.
“Have them understand all sides of the issue, so that they can feel not only that they’ve been heard but that they’re part of the decision making,” he said.
That consultation however isn’t happening or isn’t good enough.
“Absolutely not. Case in point, the fact that the meeting was organized, planned for and called by the school not the school board,” Patricia Uribe, a parent at the school said Wednesday. “The school board isn’t planning a meeting until the end of September, which is as far as I’m concerned, far too late.”
Uribe wants the school saved not only for her kids but for the surrounding community, which she says benefits from the green space around the school.
“To lose this green space would mean we’d have to drive a kilometre to take our kids to a park. Which is unheard of, especially in Don Mills having been planned the way it was where quadrants were designed to have green space,” she said. “It’s sad to see the Toronto district school board not listening to the neighbours, or not even addressing the neighbourhood’s wants and needs.”
She also worries that if a developer were to buy the land, the increased density in the area could lead to increased traffic and higher crime-rates.
But Bolton suggests selling the land could benefit the community, the kids and neighbouring schools. Citing an example from Toronto’s west-end, Bolton said the board could use revenue from the sale of the property to improve neighbouring schools.
“They got a new auditorium, they got upgrades to their schools, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be a win/lose situation,” he said. “It can in fact be a win, and a neutral and an understanding.”
However, Abouchar is still trying to save the school he founded from losing its building. He’s offered to extend the lease of the property for 49 years, which he says, would allow the school board to reap a higher profit than it would by selling the land.
He says the school board has yet to respond to his offer.
In the meantime though, parents are contacting politicians, including councillor for the area Denzil Minnan-Wong and various community leaders to plead their case.
-With files from Mark McAllister
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