A new university-preparatory high school in Welland, Ont., is causing concern because its enrolment will be limited to students in lower income brackets.
The school is temporarily located in Welland and will eventually house grades 6-12, according to a press release by the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN).
The DSBN Academy will have breakfast and lunch programs, tutoring and mentoring opportunities, after-school programming and a single-track academic program meant to prepare students for “the rigours of college and university,” according to the press release. Proponents hope the students will be the first in their families to attend college or university.
“The social and academic support provided by the Academy will be key to enabling many students to become the first in their families to graduate from a post-secondary institution,” said Kevin Maves, chair of the board. “The significance of that achievement cannot be overstated.”
The school is designed to allow students from low-income families to graduate from college and/or university.
The school will accept students from across the Niagara region, according to the press release.
The DSBN Academy’s opening has not been entirely applauded. Ontario’s minister of education, Leona Dombrowsky, told the Niagara Falls Review that she was “concerned about the stigmatization of children.”
“We know that there is an important discussion going on right now and we expect that the board of trustees will listen to the concerns raised and make the appropriate decision,” said Mike Feenstra, a spokesperson for the ministry.
Former social worker Thomas Mobley said he read about the opening of the school in the Hamilton Spectator and was so moved by it that he decided to write a letter to the editor entitled “Low-income school is segregation.”
“It fits well with apartheid. They’re separating based on income,” Mobley said.
Rather than establishing a school geared towards poor children, Mobley suggested raising minimum wage so the families will have a guaranteed annual income.
In spite of the criticism, the board stands behind its initiative.
“We firmly believe that education is the key for children to break the cycle of poverty and live more enriched and fulfilling lives,” said Warren Hoshizaki, the director of education for the DSBN, in a press release.
Representatives of Brock University and Niagara College, two of the region’s largest post-secondary institutions, have spoken out in support of the academy.
However, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation president Daniel Peat has lifted his organization’s support.
Peat said decisions were made without taking the union’s concerns into account and the school would serve a very low number of students, according to the Niagara Falls Review.