Thames Valley District School Board is moving forward with the City of St. Thomas Elementary Panel Attendance Area Review. The initial report for this review was presented at the November 29 Board Meeting, available for viewing on TVDSB’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/TVDSBVideos).  

The Attendance Area Review is a response to rapid residential development in St. Thomas, which is placing enrolment pressure on various schools.  

“There’s many potential benefits to balancing enrolment in St. Thomas such as fewer portables and less travel time for students,” says Geoff Vogt, Superintendent of Facility Services and Capital Planning, “This review will also strengthen the Board’s business case to the Ministry of Education for a new elementary school in northwest St. Thomas.”  

Next steps involve forming an Attendance Area Review Committee (AARC) as well as school level subcommittees with parent/guardian representatives from each school. Sub-committees will hold meetings with their school communities to gather public feedback and to strengthen the options under consideration.  

If parents/guardians of children at affected schools are interested in joining an AAR Committee, they may complete an Expression of Interest Form and submit a copy of it to their Principal no later than 8:00 a.m. on December 23, 2022.   

Following this public input process, a Final Attendance Area Review Report and recommendations will be presented at a Board meeting in the spring for Trustees’ consideration. If approved by Trustees, attendance area changes will take effect no earlier than September of 2024.   

More details about the City of St. Thomas Elementary Panel Attendance Area Review (STAAR) are available at www.tvdsb.ca/staar. Thames Valley invites community members to submit any questions through this website, where responses will also be posted. Members of the public may also subscribe to the website for updates.