TDSB not planning to shut down arts-focused schools, official says

An official with the Toronto District School Board says it has no plans to close its specialized arts schools despite a draft task force report that recommends that such schools be phased out.

John Malloy, director of education for the TDSB, told Metro Morning that he would never recommend that the board's arts-focused schools be shut down. The Enhancing Equity Task Force report is only a proposal and consultation process is not finished yet, he said.

• TDSB task force calls for end to specialized schools in draft report

• Students at public arts schools are twice as likely to be white, study finds

"What we are basically saying is that each and every one of our students deserves to have the programs that they need that will help them be strong in terms of their academics," Malloy said on Tuesday.

"We are looking all of the ways in which that happens and all of the ways in which it might not." 

Prompted by outcry from members of the public over the draft recommendations, the board has decided to extend the period of time allowed for community feedback until November 20, he said.

"Clearly, we have received enough feedback that says that particular recommendation is problematic," he said.

However, Malloy said the TDSB has to face some of the documented challenges in its system that indicate not all students are able to access its specialized programs.

"We have to ensure our programs and our schools are accessible to all. And where they are not, we have to do something about that," he said.

"For me, a program, a school, needs to serve our community."

TDSB to look at draft report in December

In the draft report, under the title "Ensure Equitable Educational Experiences and Opportunities for All Students in All Schools," the recommendation reads:

• "Resources and supports be realigned so that all schools, at least every cluster of local schools, can offer a variety of specialty programs."
• "Once this in place, and ALL students have equitable access to enriched programming, optional attendance and specialized schools should be phased out."

Malloy said the draft report will not be considered by the board until December.

A study conducted by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, released in April 2017, found that three out of four arts-focused TDSB schools are populated primarily with students who are white, wealthy, and from the same parts of Toronto,

The study did not name the schools, but according to the TDSB, specialized arts programs are offered at four schools: Etobicoke School of the Arts, Wexford Collegiate School of the Arts, Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, and Claude Watson Secondary Arts Program at Earl Haig Secondary School.