Parents know instinctively that neighbourhood schools are worth protecting.
And there is a lot of research to support what they know. A few of the obvious things local schools do are:
- strengthen social cohesion,
- improve children’s health through walking,
- increase house values,
- reduce residential mobility
In Toronto, schools sit at the hub of every neighbourhood . When the Strong Neighbourhoods Taskforce analyzed the accessibility of community resources across Toronto neighbourhoods, schools were the most commonly available resource across the city’s 140 defined neighbourhoods. They are a rich and under-utilized community resource.
So, this week, there was good news and bad for the idea of a neighbourhood school:
- The good news was the recognition in the province’s newly announced Poverty Reduction Strategy that, in the effort to reduce child poverty, schools need to be community hubs. Provincial funding is being increased for the community use of schools.
- The bad news came from the chair of the Toronto District School Board that he will use his second term to work to close schools identified as “under capacity” so that these resources can be put to build new schools.
Belonging Community 
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