Elementary Classroom Utilization Procedure

1.1 The purpose of this procedure is to establish guidelines and responsibilities for managing the use of classroom space to elementary schools. The guidelines will provide general criteria for use by staff and principals to allocate portable classrooms to elementary schools in the region.

1.2 The allocation of classroom space to schools is done each year to ensure that schools have appropriate 
classroom spaces for students, including special education classes and appropriate instructional space for other grantable classroom uses. The allocation is based on the Official Enrollment Projections and Staffing Allocation developed each March for the following September. The Ministry of Education establishes a range of permitted uses and classroom sizes in the Capital Grant Plan document for use at the Primary, Junior and Intermediate levels for elementary schools in the province.

1.3 In order to equitably assess the use of physical facility resources throughout the Durham District School Board, a set of guidelines for classroom uses has been developed for grantable and non-grantable uses and space utilization as outlined in Section 6.

2.1 The allocation and physical movement of portable classrooms involves the following departments and includes the following roles and responsibilities:

2.2 The Planning Department and Operations Department will:

• compile the Ministry and Board rated capacity for each school;
• allocate staff and determine classroom requirements by April of each year;
• assess each school and determine if additional classrooms are required due to site factors asidentified in 6.1 to 6.7 below;
• receive and review requests from principals to allocate additional classroom space to schools;
• receive requests from Principals for non-grantable program uses and other uses not covered in Section 6.1 to 6.7 inclusive and will respond in a timely fashion clearly outlining decisions for the use of classroom space with respect to the following areas:
  
  • specific rooms involved;
  • the nature of the permitted use;
  • the length of time that the use will be allowed to continue;
  • the conditions under which the use may be terminated;
  • report to Administrative Council each year on the utilization of classroom space.

2.3 The Facilities Services Division will:

• address the physical adequacy and provision of all portable classrooms;
• physically move portable classrooms to school sites;
• lock and disconnect surplus classroom spaces identified by Planning and Operations staff.

2.4 The Purchasing Department will:

• address and co-ordinate all issues related to furniture and equipment placement in portable classrooms.

2.5 Principals and Administrators of Elementary Schools will:

• allocate staff to each classroom in the school placing teachers with grantable class assignments in 
  grantable classroom space;
• indicate where itinerant and non-grantable uses will take place in schools;
• indicate which rooms are to be double loaded as per section 6.2 to 6.6 of the guideline;
• indicate which rooms can be used as multi-use rooms as per section 6.6. of the guideline;
• request by E-mail or in writing additional classroom space for uses not covered by the guideline.

3.1 The guidelines will be put in place to allocate classrooms and other spaces to schools for each school year. The procedure will use the following timelines for the review and allocation of classroom space:

4.1 In the event that a dispute over room use cannot be resolved between the School and Plant Services/Operations departments, that matter will be adjudicated as follows:

• All parties will submit written arguments citing the relevant sections covered or omitted within the 
  procedure for review;
• The matter will be reviewed by the Superintendent of Education/Facilities Services, Superintendent of 
  Education/Operations, and the Superintendent of Education/Area for the area in which the school is 
  situated;
• A written decision will be issued regarding the matter, explaining to all parties the reasons for the 
  decision and which sections of the procedure are to be amended or strengthened as the case may be.

1. Grantable Room Use:
   The recognized room uses defined in the Capital Grant Plan 1979 for Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions; loaded spaces - This is different than a grantable program which may receive funding from 
   the Ministry of Education, but not consideration for classroom space in the Capital Grant Plan.
2. Non-Grantable Room Use:
   The room uses defined in the Capital Grant Plan which do not require a Ministry loaded classroom and are either itinerant or withdrawal based; non-loaded spaces.
3. Ministry Rated Capacity (MRC):
   The Ministry of Education calculation of school capacity as defined through recognized room uses and loadings in the Capital Grant Plan.
4. Durham Rated Capacity (DDSB):
   The capacity that reflects the actual loading of classrooms using the class size guidelines and recognizing the increased provision of special education classrooms. 
5. Kindergarten Classroom:
   A classroom built or used for a kindergarten or junior kindergarten program, loaded at 26 students.
6. Grade 1 & 2 Classroom (Primary):
   A classroom built or used for Grades 1 and 2 or a split thereof, loaded at 20 students.
7. Grade 3-8 Classroom (Regular):
   A classroom built or used for a regular class for Grades 3 to 8 or a split class thereof, loaded at 35 
   students.
8. Over-sized Classroom:
   A classroom designed and built to accommodate science, art, music or another grantable use that is 
   in excess of 900 square feet.
9. Special Education Classroom:
   A classroom built or used for a self-contained special education classroom for an area or regional 
   special education program. The loading for these rooms varies from 6 to 12 students depending on 
   the program.

6.1 Grantable Program Spaces

1. Grantable programs are those which require a Ministry loaded classroom in which to operate these rooms include the following: 

   Kindergarten Classroom	1 section FDK
   Gr. 1&2 Classroom	1 section per room
   Gr. 3-8 Classroom (regular)	1 section per room
   Other Classrooms	as below Section 6.1 to 6.7

2. Administrators shall assign all classes to classrooms within the school before portable classrooms will 
   be allocated to the school site. Certain specialized classrooms however may not be able to 
   accommodate a regular class within the room. A list of these grantable spaces is detailed below 
   including criteria for determining the ability of the room to accommodate a regular class within.

6.2 Music Room

• Loaded space at 35 pupil places
• Intended to be dual loaded with music and regular class
• Dual loading is driven by size and design of room
• Intended to be used in a school with grades 7 & 8:
  
  • If room is oversized (in excess of 900 sq. ft.) - music and regular class
  • If room is 750 sq. ft. or less - music only (single loaded)
  • If room is specialized design (i.e. tiered) - music only
  • If in a music portable - music and regular class

All music rooms will be reviewed and rated for Categories A to D. All schools will be advised as to the category that their music room will be placed in. Schools may receive a Science, Art and Music upgrade through the renewal plan if approved by the Board's budget process.

6.3 Science Room

• Loaded space at 35 pupil places
• Intended to be dual loaded
• Dual loading is driven by size and design of room
• Intended to be used in a school with grades 7 & 8
  
  • If room is oversized (in excess of 900 sq. ft.) - music and regular class
  • If room is under 750 sq. ft. - science only 
  • If room is specialized design (i.e. fixed lab table design) - science only

All science rooms will be reviewed and rated from Categories A to C. All schools will be advised as to the 
category that their science room will be placed in. Schools may receive a Science, Art and Music upgrade 
through the renewal plan if approved by the Board's budget process.

6.4 Art Room

• Loaded space at 35 pupil places
• Intended to be dual loaded
• Dual loading is driven by size and design of room
• Intended to be used in a school with grades 7 & 8
  
  • If room is oversized (in excess of 900 sq. ft.) - art and regular class
  • If room is under 750 sq. ft. - art only 
  • If room is specialized design (i.e. fixed furniture design) - art only

All art rooms will be reviewed and rated from Categories A to C. All schools will be advised as to the category that their art room will be placed in. Schools may receive a Science, Art and Music upgrade through the renewal plan if approved by the Board's budget process.

6.5 Special Education Rooms

• Loaded space at 6 to 12 pupil places depending on the program
• Intended to be single loaded

6.6 Non-Grantable Program Spaces

Non-grantable programs are those which do not require a Ministry loaded classroom and are either itinerant 
or withdrawal based. The programs do require space in which to operate; however, this space is either less 
than a regular classroom or a dual use of existing space.

a. Special Education

• • All new schools built since 1987 include space for SERT program
  • Each school should have a designated SERT space of up to 250 sq. ft.
  • Loaded classroom space may not be used for this function

b. Core French

• • Program is intended to visit existing classroom space
  • Loaded classroom space may not be used for this function

1. 1. English Language Instruction in French Immersion Program

• • Program is part of the French Immersion program and the space request is created as a result of a split class in grades 3/4
  • The English language components are intended to visit existing classroom space and available 
    small instructional space or multi-use classroom for the smaller of the two components
  • Single loaded classroom may not be used for this function

c. English as a Second Language (ESL)

• • Program will use existing withdrawal space within school
  • Shall not use loaded classroom space for this function

d. Computer Rooms

• • May only be created as a secondary or tertiary use in a multi-use classroom
  • Cannot displace any grantable uses
  • Cannot displace required non-grantable areas such as health and guidance

e. Other Uses

• • Other non-grantable classroom uses not covered in Section 6.2 to 6.5 may be desired or created from time to time. At such time as these uses happen, they will be reviewed by the Planning 
    and Operations Department. The granting of space for non-grantable program spaces will be on 
    a temporary basis renewed annually.

6.7 Vacant Spaces

The Durham District School Board has several schools that are under-populated and have vacant portable and core classrooms. The presence of these rooms is driven by declining enrolment or staff allocation.

a. Vacant Core Classrooms

Vacant core classrooms may be used for non-grantable program uses on a temporary basis under the 
following conditions:

• • No portable classrooms will be used on site to allow non-grantable uses to go on in core space
  • Non-grantable uses will be terminated prior to portable classrooms being added to the site
  • Non-grantable uses will be terminated at such time as the school undergoes boundary or program changes that would necessitate use of that space
  • All non-grantable uses will be reviewed and approved on an annual basis

b. Vacant Portable Classrooms

• • All vacant portable classrooms will be locked on site and power disconnected in order to reduce 
    the amount of utility cost to be borne by the Board.
  • Vacant portable classrooms may be prepared if the number of grantable classroom uses is 
    increased at the school and all non-grantable uses occurring in the core building have ceased.