Message from Director of Education David K. Thomas

Welcome to the Upper Canada District School Board’s Building 2020 web site.  Here you will find regular updates on Building 2020, our plan to implement the decisions made by our Board of Trustees to enhance educational programming.

On May 14, 2008, following a system wide review of all families of schools in the Board to address program enhancement, consolidation and boundary alignment, school board trustees voted to close 13 schools by the year 2012, incorporate grades 7-12 structures at some high schools, and re-organize program offerings for French language instruction.

Trustees held a number of public meetings to gather opinions of parents, students, and community members.  The stark reality is that our school board, and the majority of school boards throughout Ontario, faces a new challenge of declining enrolment because of changing demographics.  Parents are having fewer children, and later in life, and that reduces the number of students entering Kindergarten each year.

Also, the weak eastern Ontario economy has forced many families to leave this area to work elsewhere.  So, to achieve our goal of a 90% graduation rate by the year 2020, we must enhance educational programming - hence the creation of Building 2020.

This Web site will provide updates on the following:

• Grades 7 – 12 Schools;
• French Course Programming;
• Junior Kindergarten – Grade 6; and
• Bus Transportation.

Also, we recognize that you may have questions that go beyond the

information we are posting, and that is why we welcome your requests for more information than we are providing.

You can contact your school principal for answers, but there will be times when that answer may require more time, and we will work cooperatively with you to get you the answers you need.

You can e-mail or telephone your comments to our Building 2020 Coordinator, Cindy Peters, at cindy.peters@ucdsb.on.ca or call her at 613-342-0371 or toll-free at 1-800-267-7131 ext. 1188.

Thank you for your interest in our Building 2020 plan.  Together we will continue to support student achievement and achieve our goal of a 90% graduation rate.

Sincerely,

David K. Thomas
Director of Education