St. Davids Public School is getting a fifth portable this fall as enrolment keeps climbing — and some parents say it’s time the school board stepped in to balance the load with nearby schools.
Stacy Veld, treasurer for the District School Board of Niagara, confirmed the school is over capacity in an email to The Lake Report.
She said the school board is carefully watching the situation and converting a meeting space into another classroom to address pressures.
Recommendations to address the situation will be brought to the board of trustees for consideration this fall, though she did not specify what those recommendations would entail or exactly address.
“Nevertheless, the school remains over capacity,” Veld said.
The school’s principal, Carl Glauser, agrees. He’s been principal for three years and said he’s seen a “steady growth” of both the school and the community.
“This is not the first time I’ve navigated enrolment pressures and I’m confident in the board’s plan to effectively address them,” said Glauser in an email.
Parents at St. Davids say their school is bursting at the seams, while others at Crossroads report a better experience.
“I get concerned as a parent,” said parent Judith Atwood, who has kids at the St. Davids school.
Glauser said his focus remains on ensuring a “safe, supportive and positive learning environment” for students.
“St. Davids is a vibrant place for students to learn and grow,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to share updates with the school community as we move forward.”
The school’s “functional capacity” is 328 students, Veld said, “which provides a more accurate reflection of its available classroom space.”
The school board’s 2023–2032 long-term accommodation plan shows St. Davids was operating well over capacity in 2022, with enrolment expected to continue rising in the coming years.
Meanwhile, nearby Crossroads Public School has space available and is projected to see a decline in enrolment, and currently has no portables, the plan states.
Overcrowding causes bigger classrooms, parking hazards and long washroom lineups
Andrew Stewart’s children started at St. Davids Public School three years ago. Since then, he said, there have been “clear signs of overcrowding.”
Atwood pointed to the crowding parking situation at the school, which has become “a real hazard,” leading to some instances of people parking on sidewalks, for example.
Stewart said the lot has even had accidents, including a collision between two buses, though no one has been hurt.
Parents say they’re taking note of how the school is handling the growth.
Coun. Adriana Vizzari has had children at St. Davids since 2021 and said the school’s population “has definitely increased over those years.”
“My kids came home and said they heard that they’re getting rid of the swings to accommodate a portable,” she said. “Day-to-day parts of their school life are impacted, I guess, with the growth.”
Atwood said an old computer lab is also being converted into a classroom, cutting into library space.
“We’re actually growing by two classroom sizes,” she said.
Parents say portables and conversions won’t solve the real issue.
Portables don’t ease the strain on bathrooms, gyms, or playgrounds — they just add more students to already crowded spaces, Atwood said.
Stewart said there are often “line-ups at the washrooms because there are so few available.”
Parent Eric Teichgraf, with kids at St. Davids, said the overcrowding is “serious and unsustainable” and called these modifications a “band-aid solution” in an email.
The school currently cannot support new expansions like portables, Teichgraf said, “without significantly impacting the learning environment and overall well-being of our students and staff.”
Parents extend their sympathy to those working at the school and dealing with the issue.
Atwood said the school is “amazing,” nonetheless and that the staff, teachers and community are “truly special.”
The school’s teachers, who Stewart said are “phenomenal,” are being “pushed to (the) limit” by the overcrowding, he said.
Parents say nearby school could accommodate more students
Stewart questioned why those in charge didn’t consider reviewing the demographic boundaries that dictate what school parents send their children to in NOTL before approving funds for portables and conversions.
To him, the solution is clear: “Complete a boundary review immediately, conduct an audit of enrolment to ensure all parents live within the boundary and move a portion of the student population to Crossroads,” he said in an email.
Lauren Bennett, a Crossroads parent of two, said she’s had an “excellent experience” at the school.
“We’ve never felt as though the class sizes are too big for the teachers to be able to manage it,” she said.
As for whether she’d support a boundary change that sends more students to Crossroads, Bennett said the school board should do what’s needed to keep class sizes reasonable.
“I wouldn’t support any school being overcrowded,” she said, adding that if the school board is acting “in a way that supports the recommended numbers,” she said, “we can all make it work.”
Atwood was taken aback when she saw the numbers in the school board’s accommodation plan showing the enrolment imbalance and the board’s awareness of both the overpopulation at St. Davids and the excess capacity at Crossroads.
“When I found that, I was so disheartened,” said Atwood.
“It appears to be a combination of bureaucratic malaise,” said Stewart, “a sensitivity around implementing change and oddly, a preference to spend taxpayer dollars on temporary fixes, rather than optimize the existing infrastructure.”
Some frustrated after missing unannounced superintendent visit
The last week of May, Stewart said, superintendent Mary Anne Gage made an unannounced visit to the school council meeting to give a brief update. Since it wasn’t on the agenda, most parents weren’t prepared or able to attend, he said.
Glauser said it was an example of how the school plans to keep its community “well-informed through school-wide communication.”
But the lack of preparation disappointed Teichgraf, who had hoped to be part of the discussion.
“We were surprised and frustrated that no effort was made to include us in that conversation.”
Stewart said the superintendent advised that a boundary review “may happen next year, with implementation the year after.”
“But no clear timelines were given as it has to first go to the trustees,” he said.
Teichgraf said, “It’s troubling that the (school board) has not shown a greater sense of urgency,” especially since another school nearby has space, he said.
Stewart questioned the “bewildering” use of taxpayer dollars on studies showing St. Davids’ overcapacity and Crossroads’ underutilization, without resulting action.
The town’s communications coordinator, Marah Minor, said council requested a presentation from the District School Board of Niagara on the long-term accommodation plan for NOTL students and wants to schedule a meeting to discuss this.
“To discuss this presentation, their long-term accommodation plan (2023-2032) and discuss the background on council’s request,” said Minor.
“This meeting has not yet occurred,” she said.
The town is “going to continue to pursue that as a municipality,” said Vizzari. “Because this is our community, these are our kids,” she said.
Stewart said the solution lies in redirecting students to nearby schools with available space, such as Crossroads.
“We need concrete action now, not general promises for the future.”
The Niagara Region Parent Teachers’ Association did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
