FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lorne Avenue School Collaborative

An Open Letter To the Thames Valley District School Board Administration & Trustees

The Lorne Avenue School Collaborative has questions with regards to the negotiations that have occurred between the City of London and the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), and in particular, the responses from TVDSB Senior Staff to the City of London's Expression Of Interest to share the space. As a precursor to the questions, we would like to make you aware of the following: Members of the Lorne Avenue School Collaborative are aware of all of the content contained within the submissions to the City’s REOI`s and that each submission complied with the TVDSB criteria for partnerships and sharing space. The Lorne Avenue School Collaborative recruited the proponents and assisted them with questions about the process prior to them contacting the City of London. During the public Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) process, a figure of five million dollars and then six million dollars was mentioned by senior administration as the costs for renovations. Subsequently, a figure of three times that amount was quoted to an earlier proponent. As a result, this proponent was then unable to consider sharing the space. Throughout the ARC process we were struck by the inability and/or unwillingness of the TVDSB's Senior Administration to think creatively about solutions that would work in everyone’s interests, or seriously consider the proposals brought forward by the Accommodation Review Committee itself. They presented what appeared to us to be arbitrary reasons as to why each and every proposal tabled was not workable. So, given that they have consistently refused to consider a “school within a school” or any other less costly solutions, these are our questions:

1. The administrators who recommended closing the school were charged by the Trustees with the task of exploring partnership development to keep it open, yet to date have not returned to the Board with solutions. Given their lack of support for all solutions brought forward thus far, should we be hopeful that they worked constructively and creatively with the City to make it possible to share the school space? If so, how can this be verified? 2. Since all negotiations have been held “in camera”, at what point in this process will the community be given access to some or all of the minutes of the discussions between the City and TVDSB?

3. Were you, our Trustees, given the opportunity to participate in the negotiations? 4. Will you, our Trustees, be given the opportunity to review the staff report and all relevant documentation (including the draft proposals from the City of London) before it is tabled at the May TVDSB School Board meeting? 5. Can we assume that the costs quoted to the City for renovations were reasonable, rational, and reflect a genuine effort to find a common solution? 6. If the presented renovation costs are greater than previously quoted to earlier proponents, can we expect a detailed explanation for the discrepancies? 7. If exorbitant renovations costs make it impossible for the City to proceed, will the school closing be portrayed by the TVDSB to be a result of the City’s inability to find and provide adequate funding?

We eagerly look forward to your responses to all of the above questions. Kind Regards,

Lorne Avenue School Collaborative

Frank Filice [email protected] Jennifer Diplock [email protected] Scott Maclean [email protected] Sarah Merritt [email protected] Greg Thompson [email protected] Paul Seale [email protected]