System Survey indicates that Catholic education is strong in Dufferin-Peel schools  

Forty years have elapsed since the amalgamation of eight local Catholic school boards into a single school district that would provide Catholic education to children and families in the Region of Peel and Dufferin County. Over these four decades, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has grown from twenty-seven Catholic elementary schools, in 1969, to one of the province’s largest school districts serving approximately 88,000 students in 122 elementary and 23 secondary schools located throughout Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. With the board’s 40th anniversary approaching, the Director of Education and Board of Trustees initiated a system review process intended to allow for consultation with the wider Catholic community in Peel and Dufferin on matters related to the board’s strengths, challenges, and recommended areas of focus over the next three to five years.

Consisting primarily of surveys and small group meetings, the outcome of this consultative process was intended to provide trustees and senior management in Dufferin-Peel with a better understanding of the interests, concerns and accolades identified by local parents, Catholic school council members, pastors, senior students and recent graduates, unions, and associations. Equipped with the findings from this system review process, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board can set out in an informed manner on the journey of shaping and building its future.

The results are in and we were gratified to see that there is an overwhelming consensus that our Catholic schools are viewed as distinctly Catholic, safe, healthy, clean and educationally sound places to learn, grow in faith and prepare for post secondary education or the workplace.

Among the findings:

• Catholicity is a strength of this school board and that the Catholic faith is clearly demonstrated in local school communities.
• Dufferin-Peel schools are viewed as a distinct alternative to local public schools.
• Satisfaction with the overall quality of Catholic education in Dufferin-Peel schools is very high.
• Continued funding, vitality and relevance of Catholic education in Ontario is seen as a concern.
• Strong support for the provision and funding of quality core programs on a board-wide basis, rather than support for the funding of specialty programs at the expense of local school programming.
• Support for the board to continue to manage its resources responsibly, with transparency and accountability of financial reporting.
• Calls for increased funding for programs such as special education and/or English Language Learner needs.
• High levels of satisfaction with the safety and cleanliness of schools.
• Dufferin-Peel Catholic schools enhance the character development of students.
•  Satisfaction with the level of extra curricular activities, program variety and transportation.

For more information on the Strategic System Review, please contact the school office or call the Communications & Community Relations Department at (905) 890-0708, ext. 24278.