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November:
By November each year, Ï㽶ֱ²¥ will notify partners of space available for possible partnership agreements. Interested partners will be required to download the application form found under the Reference and Proposal Application Documents tab on the left side of this page. Please note that in addition to the Proposed Partnership Application above, potential partners will be expected to provide relevant planning information (e.g., population projections, growth plans, community needs, land use and green space/park requirements, etc.).

Before completing this application and accompanying planning information, interested parties are reminded to ensure that they meet the criteria for partner selection by accessing the Selection Criteria tab below.

January:
The last day of the first week of January each year is considered the due date for all applications to be sent to lesley.marshall@nearnorthschools.ca. All proposals will be carefully reviewed by capital and facilities staff who will collaborate with interested partners to identify possible facilities partnerships.

February:
By the end of February each year, the board will endeavor to hold a public meeting for discussion of current changes to capital plans and to review presentations put forth for available space.Ìý The meeting may be face to face and/or virtual. If there are no available spaces or one application or less per site, the applications will be managed on a one-to-one basis and announced at a public meeting. If there are multiple proposals for any site, these may be presented at the annual meeting for discussion.

All changes will be updated on the Ï㽶ֱ²¥ webpage.Ìý

March-June:
The SBO, Capital and Facilities staff will contact approved partners to begin planning and lease discussions to determine if a mutually agreeable/beneficial lease agreement can be negotiated. An annual report will be generated and presented to the Board by the end of June confirming what (if any) partnership agreements were finalized.

Facility partnerships are only considered in schools where they are compatible, and they do not interfere with ongoing school operations or the board’s long-term operation or capital plans.

To ensure compatibility:

• Potential partners and partnerships shall be carefully vetted by central staff, the Superintendent of Education and school administration.
• School Councils and/or Student Councils, as appropriate, shall be part of the consultation process that will inform decision making.
• The board shall make decisions about partnerships through the approval of partnership agreements in the form of leases.

Criteria for the selection of potential facility partners must align with the mission, vision, values Ìýand priorities of the Board and be based on the following principles:

• The values of the Board must be respected.
• Health and safety of students must be protected.
• Student achievement strategies must be supported.
• School board operations shall not be negatively impacted.
• Partnerships must be appropriate for the school setting in accordance with the mandate of theÌýpublic school system.
• The value of the partnerships to students must be considered.
• All costs of the partnership including ongoing operations and upkeep must be recovered.
• Organizations that provide competing education services such as tutoring services, JK-12 private schools or private colleges, and credit offering entities that are not government-funded, shall not be eligible facility partners unless specifically approved by the Board according to Ministry of Education regulations.
• Both non-profit and for-profit entities may be considered, in compliance with local bylaws.

Programs, services and organizations that support the physical health and mental wellbeing of students, staff and communities have a priority among external requests for space.

Programs, services and organizations found on the following approved list will be considered before all other partnership proposals.

As per the Ï㽶ֱ²¥ Governance manual GP212 item 5.3

The following entities will be considered as eligible partners:

• Co-terminus school boards;
• Local municipalities within the Near North District School Board Region;
• Local Colleges and Universities;
• First Nations Partners;
• Provincial & Federal Government;
• Child Care operators approved by the Board;
• HANDS;
• Agencies providing Education and Community Partnership Programs (ECPP);
• Local Health Integration Networks;
• Social Service Organizations;
• Literacy agencies;
• Members of Children’s Mental Health Ontario; and
• Other partners as determined by the Board.

Note : The Board may prioritize the notification list of eligible partners.