The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Parents asking for more detailed information continued from p.8 St. Joseph would be demolished to make way for a new school on its existing site, accommodating 504 students, including those from St. James. An opening is targeted for the 2017-18 school year. Staff is also recommending constructing a new addition to St. Dominic's to accommodate 527 students -- replacing the original building section erected in 1969, but keeping the full-day Kindergarten add-on from 1995. It is expected to be ready for 2018-19. "We will tear down that and rebuild on top of it, using a similar design characteristic -- open areas, a lot of windows, a lot of natural lighting coming in and some innovative program space," said Thibeault. If approved, St. Joseph students would relocate to St. James until the new south Oakville school is completed, requiring six portables. Students enrolled at St. Dominic school will be redirected to St. James until construction of its new addition is finished with eight portables needed. Koreen Ott has two children, one of whom is a Grade 2 student at St. Joseph. While the proposal was "very straightforward" and presented well, Ott said the board didn't disclose enough details for its plan to move students to the new school. "How much of St. Joseph's has to close down, while it builds this new school? It's not very clear what that transition process will be and how long it will take," said Ott. The Oakville mother wants HCDSB to address the transition's impact on the children. "It has not provided an opportunity for concerned parents to address their questions. You could write down a question, but there was no open discussion. It felt very onesided," said Ott. Joseph Kingry, who has a son and daughter who are attending St. Dominic, said "We lucked out" because their school would get a new addition. "St. James and St. Joseph, that is a more difficult situation where they have to deal with the closing of a school. I feel fortunate that we will be getting a new facility. It's not that bad for St. Dominic students," said Kingry. His biggest concern is with St. Dominic's current and future capacity. Despite the new addition, which will accommodate 527 students, and an ongoing enrolment drop, HCDSB predicts the school will still have 550 students by 2025. "The new school is going to have less capacity than the existing facility. Currently there are (625) students in St. Dominic's and the new school has a 527-pupil capacity. There will be portables right from the getgo," said Kingry. "Ten years from now, it's still going to be at more than 100 per cent capacity. It is somewhat concerning because the ministry won't allocate enough funding so we have enough room in the school to fit everybody." A board meeting devoted to delegations will be held on April 5, but trustees will not vote on a final report until April 19. If approved, the Ministry of Education will make a decision on funding in May. 9 | Friday, March 11, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com 20 lb. Bag of Bird Seed and Suet Cakes Sale ends March 14, 2016 Save Now Sale Bird Seed & Suet Come and See Us! OPEN 7 DAYS 3350 FAIRVIEW STREET, BuRlIngTon 905-634-7700 · EmAIl: wbu1@bellnet.ca We bring people & nature together We Invite Our Oakville Neighbours toVisit One of the Finest Showrooms in Ontario! 3440 Fairview Street, Burlington Ontario L7N 2R5 Oakville: (905) 827-5585 Burlington: (905) 634-7701 Hamilton: (905) 544-2220 www.broomshvac.ca Open: Mon. - Sat. Closed: Sun. Fairview St. Guelph Line Cumberland Ave Fairview St Woodview Rd St. Walkers Line Prospect Professional Advice on Top Brands