CPF Hamilton Wentworth's Response to Review Recommendations
(April 2002)

Canadian Parents for French - Hamilton Wentworth would like to thank the Board for the continued opportunity to provide input to the French Immersion Review. When we last addressed you in February we spoke in support of:

-increasing the level of funding available for French Immersion schools using the Ministry Language Grant;
-providing transportation for French Immersion students who do not live within walking distance of the closest Immersion school; and
-increasing information and support for parents of French Immersion students and promotion of the program throughout Hamilton-Wentworth.

Since February, we have been pleased to see that some of the Review recommendations have already been implemented. Members of the CPF Executive attended the five Kindergarten information nights for Immersion students held at schools across the City. We were also impressed by the French Immersion web site posted by the Board last month. This site will be an excellent source of information and resources for parents, students and staff.

Yesterday I received a call from a CPF member living in the former Village of Waterdown. Rajani RaoPeters is a parent who has spent the past year working to establish a French Immersion school in Waterdown. Ms. RaoPeters received a copy of tonight's staff report on Saturday and was disheartened to learn that Board staff do not support establishing a school in Waterdown because of insufficient interest shown at the Kindergarten information meeting in February.

While canvassing parents door to door, over the past two months, Ms. RaoPeters found that many parents did not attend the Kindergarten information meeting because the advertisement did not say that the Board was looking at establishing an Immersion program in Waterdown. However, even without any official notice, at least 25 parents have already registered their children for a possible French Immersion kindergarten in Waterdown. This is evidence of a very strong base of support for the program. CPF Hamilton Wentworth respectfully requests that the Board explore this issue further by publicizing the opportunity for an French Immersion school in Waterdown and announcing criteria and timelines for parents to consider. There are many parents hoping for this opportunity and it would be a shame to dismiss the idea without further exploration.

During our presentation in February, Board members had some questions about Canadian Parents for French and its role in advocating French language education. I am very pleased to have Mr. Peter Kenwood, a member of the Board of Directors for CPF Ontario, here tonight to briefly address the Board and to answer your questions.
Canadian Parents for French -Ontario, would like to thank the Hamilton Wentworth Board for their time this evening.

Function of Canadian Parents for French
Canadian Parents for French (CPF) was formed in 1977 as a national network of volunteers who promote and create opportunities for young Canadians to learn and use French. We work in close partnership with all levels of Government, from the Federal Level to School Council representatives, to individually concerned parents.

The main aim of our organization is the promotion of French as a Second Language in Canada through enhanced education programs being made available for all students, and through encouraging open dialogue between parents and educators. We now have approximately 200 CPF chapters across the country and about 14,000 members nation-wide.

Importance of French Immersion to Canadian communities
Across Canada, over 318,000 children are involved in the French Immersion Program. In Ontario, over 155,000 students are enrolled. CPF values a Canada where French and English-speakers live together in mutual respect with the understanding and appreciation of each other's language and culture and where linguistic duality forms an integral part of society.

French immersion helps students identify with other groups within our communities promoting a greater understanding and harmonization between children. The further advantages to children later on in life with the understanding of other cultures and languages is the ability to help them to grow both culturally and financially within their communities as well as to give them the opportunity to work abroad. Researchers have noticed that children who learn a second language have better problem solving skills.

Provincial and Federal funding of French language education
French language education programs receive federal funding through the Official Languages in Education Program of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. These funds compensate provincial education departments for supplementary costs associated with these programs, including: program infrastructure, enrichment, and expansion, teacher training, and student support.

In Ontario, the following levels of funding are passed on to local school boards:
Funding in elementary school = approximately $325 per pupil
Funding in secondary school = from $59 to $150 per course in French taken by each pupil

Currently the Hamilton Wentworth Board is using some of their Ministry Language Grant to supplement the needs of their Special Education program. It is important to remember that French Immersion funding is based on enrolment in the program. Through enhanced promotion and support of the French Immersion program, the Board can increase this source of revenue. Conversely, if French Immersion enrolment continues to decline, the Board will have less funding to work with.

Transportation -What's happening across the Province
In June 2001, CPF Ontario completed its study of "Transportation to French Immersion and Extended French Programs in Ontario School Boards". The major conclusions of this study were as follows:
Nearly 73% of Ontario school boards presently provide a full level of transportation to French Immersion programs that allows students to participate without cost to the family and without needing to be driven to a school or a bus stop. Only 3 of the total of 55 School Boards offer no transportation at all.

There are many transportation options used by Boards across Ontario:
· Regular home to school service as is provided for the English stream students.
· School to school shuttle whereby a student arrives at his home school and boards another bus to go to the Immersion centre.
· Centralized pick up points.
· Use of public transit rather than school buses, where it is more efficient, with the provision of a pass or tickets.
· Use of staggered start times to enable them to reuse buses with second and third runs.
· Service provided at the elementary level, but not at the secondary level
· provide school bus service outside the public transit area
· 'fill-up-the-bus' policy where if an F.I. student can get to a stop that is scheduled for an English stream student, and there is room on the bus, he may ride

Canadian Parents for French applaud the Hamilton-Wentworth French Immersion Review for suggesting grandfathering some type of transportation for present students, but what about future students needs? A lack of adequate transportation can adversely affect enrolment. When enrollment declines, School Boards must form more split classes than would normally occur and this, in turn, has the potential to discourage enrollment even further and have teachers look to changing to other areas in Ontario without these types of classes.

CPF Ontario strongly encourages the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board to look at options for providing transportation to its French Immersion magnet schools. When adequate transportation is provided, enrolment levels are sufficient to run French Immersion programs effectively. In addition, such adequate provision levels the playing field for families from varying socio-economic backgrounds. Students do not have to abandon the Immersion program because their transportation has been removed or there has been a change in their families' employment or financial circumstances.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Board for allowing me to address you tonight. I would urge you to do whatever you can to strengthen and enhance this very important program.