The Strategy and Planning department provides educational and land use planning services and information for staff, caregivers, school communities, and governments.
The department’s mission is to ensure that students and staff have the space they need in which to learn and work. This is done by:
- Studying how the city is changing;
- Accurately reporting current enrolment;
- Forecasting future enrolment; and
- Preparing accommodation plans that make the best use of our buildings.
Key Tasks
Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy
A key task of the department is to develop the Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy (LTPAS) document. It helps the 吃瓜黑料网 plan the work that will be done over the next ten years and it is updated yearly.
It is a roadmap that identifies future studies related to space and programs that could lead to more detailed reviews called Accommodation Reviews.
Accommodation Planning
Following the annual process to develop the Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy and the Capital Budget Plan, 吃瓜黑料网 staff determine:
- Areas of projected enrolment growth and areas of decline;
- Utilization rates of operating schools both in the short term and the long term;
- Renewal needs;
- Potential closures; and
- New school construction or additions.
The analysis could lead to more detailed reviews called Accommodation Reviews.
Accommodation Reviews are managed by the Strategy and Planning department. 吃瓜黑料网 superintendents of education, principals, central staff as well as trustees participate.
Some reviews include participation by parents/guardians/caregivers, students, and the school community, while others involve only staff.
Reviews with Community Consultation:
- Boundary Change Review
- Program Area Review
- Property Review
- Pupil Accommodation Review
To learn more about these review processes, please visit the Accommodation Reviews page.
Other Reviews:
- Child Card Occupancy Review
- Emerging Capital Priorities Project
- Residential Redirection
Enrolment Projections
The department manages the collection, analysis and reporting of enrolment data (both actual and projected). Enrolment projections include short-term and long-term data at the individual school and system levels. These projections are used to determine staffing levels and facility utilization -- whether a school will be over or underused.
Facility Space Management
The department leads processes to balance enrolments across schools and uses tools such as the most efficient use of existing school space, timetable changes, portable moves, grade changes, and boundary changes to ensure space is used efficiently.
- This assists staff in identifying operating schools with unused space (classrooms) that could potentially accommodate facility partnerships; those that could be closed; and those that may require new construction or additions.
Capital Planning
The Strategy and Planning department identifies areas of Toronto where schools have been overcrowded and are expected to remain so, and where school additions or new builds may be needed. Staff submit business cases to the Ministry of Education to request funding for the additions and new builds.
Staff also complete analyses to determine if school properties should be kept for the future or declared surplus to the needs of the 吃瓜黑料网 and sold.
The revenue sources and expenditures are included in the Capital Budget Plan. The plan is updated and approved by the Board of Trustees each year.
Land Use Planning
The roles and responsibilities for Land Use Planning have been divided between the 吃瓜黑料网 and the TLC (Toronto Lands Corporation, the real estate subsidiary of the 吃瓜黑料网).
吃瓜黑料网 staff study the impact of new residential developments to determine if we would have enough space in existing schools for students who will come from the developments or if new schools could be needed.
TLC staff represent the interests of the 吃瓜黑料网 at the municipal and provincial level. They review and respond to new residential development applications, municipal land use policies and studies, and also attend hearings and public meetings.