Facilities Partnerships
At HWDSB, we believe that sharing facilities can be beneficial to our students and the community. We want to provide opportunities for our community partners to establish facility partnerships in our schools that will work towards improving achievement for students. By sharing space, we can work together to improve services, programs and supports for our students as well as maximize the use of public infrastructure through increased flexibility and use.
When we work together, everybody wins.
For more information
Ministry of Education Facility Partnership Guideline
What is a facility partnership?
The purpose of a facility partnership is to encourage school boards to work with their community partners in order to share facilities to the benefit of boards, students and the community, and to optimize the use of public assets owned by school boards. Facility partnerships provide an opportunity to reduce facility costs and/or improve educational opportunities for students.
What are the benefits of facility partnerships?
The twin challenges of local enrolment changes and making the best use of education funding to support student achievement create an incentive and opportunity to maximize the use of our school facilities. Offering space in schools to partners can also strengthen the role of schools in communities, provide a place for programs and facilitate the coordination of, and improve access to, services for students and the wider community.
What organizations qualify for facility partnerships?
Before entering into a facility partnership, there is a need to determine the expectations for the partnering organization and how it aligns with HWDSB’s strategic directions. Partnerships must be appropriate for the school setting and not compromise the student achievement strategy. For instance, organizations that provide education such as tutoring services are not eligible partners. Above all, the health and safety of students must be protected.
Does a facility partnership mean that organizations can use board facilities at no cost?
Facility partnerships operate on a cost-recovery basis. The fees charged to partners should cover the operations and capital cost, including administrative costs and property taxes (if applicable), to the board for the space occupied by the partner. Additional costs to perform minor renovations to protect student safety, provide appropriate washrooms, and otherwise make the space suitable for use by facility partners will be at the expense of the partner.
How do community groups signal their interest in partnering at an HWDSB facility?
Interested partners are invited to fill out the following online form. The form includes the reason for the organization’s interest in partnering with HWDSB, nature of the service and how much space the organization requires. The forms will be reviewed by the Manager of Partnership and Community Engagement.
Application Form
Click here to fill out our application form.
Who do I contact for more information on facility partnerships?
If you have more questions about facility partnerships, please contact April Morganti, Manager, Partnership & Community Engagement at 905-527-5092 extension 2661 or april.morganti@hwdsb.on.ca.
