This section explains common terms utilized in this report.
Enrolment
In this report, this refers to the number of registered students in each school as at September 30, 2013 as confirmed by the Ministry of Education’s 1701 Verification Report.
The 2013 actual enrolment and 2023 forecasted enrolment includes only Ministry of Education Funded students. Enrolment in the school district’s international education program is not included in this report.
The forecasted enrolment distribution by school is based on 2013 catchment areas. Changes to catchment areas will affect the distribution of enrolment by school. Current catchment areas can be viewed on the school district website (www.sd42.ca).
Nominal Capacity
In order to determine the number of student instructional spaces in a school, the Ministry of Education uses a nominal capacity based on the following criteria:
| Kindergarten: | 20 pupils per classroom |
| Elementary: | 25 pupils per classroom |
| Middle & Secondary: | 25 pupils per classroom and vocational module |
This nominal capacity forms a standard baseline across the province and the Ministry allocates all other non-instructional school space – gymnasium size, office space, hallways, etc. based on this.
A typical nominal capacity would be 20K + 450 such as Albion Elementary. This means there are 20 spaces allocated to kindergarten and 450 spaces allocated to grades 1-7. The total school nominal capacity is then 470.
Modular classrooms were added to many school districts to accommodate Full Day Kindergarten. The Ministry of Education treats modular classrooms as permanent space, even though they may ultimately be relocated. When they are added to a school, such as Edith McDermott Elementary, an additional 20K will be added to the nominal capacity.
The nominal capacity may also be reduced if a classroom is used for an alternate approved educational program. A typical example is for a Strong Start Centre. If a classroom is not used and removed from the educational space, such as the use of a portable classroom or multi-purpose room, then no change would occur in the school nominal capacity.
Operating Capacity
As a more practical alternative and to accommodate adjustments in student capacity for the various grade structures i.e. Grades K-3, K-5 or K-7 for elementary, the nominal capacity is adjusted to an operating capacity. The Ministry has a standard formula for these, for example:
| Grade Structure | K-7 | |
|
Classroom Student Capacity |
Kindergarten |
19 |
| Average Classroom 1-7 Capacity | 23.29 |
The operating capacity and nominal capacity may be the same value for most middle and secondary schools. For example, Garibaldi Secondary has both a nominal and operating capacity of 1050.
Conversion of Nominal Capacity to Operating Capacity
For an elementary school, to determine the number of educational spaces, nominal capacity is converted to operating. For example, Albion Elementary, at 20K + 450 would have an operating capacity of 438 students, calculated as follows:
| Kindergarten classrooms | 1 | = 19 capacity |
| Grade 1-7 classrooms (at 450/25 spaces per classroom) | 18 x 23.29 | = 419 |
| Total | = 438 |
The Ministry’s designated nominal and operating capacities are used as a standard across the province, and are not mandated capacities. For new facilities, school boards determine their own operating capacities, based on local decisions, subject to the limits established by the School Act.
Utilization
Utilization is usually expressed as a percentage. It usually refers to the entire school rather than a percent of kindergarten or of grades 1-7.
Therefore Albion Elementary, with an operating capacity of 438 and an enrolment of 544 would have a school utilization of 544/438 or 124.2%. This is consistent with Albion Elementary being full and having an additional 5 portable classrooms on-site.
As another example, Edith McDermott Elementary has a nominal capacity of 40K + 375 equals an operating capacity of 387 students. With 299 students registered for 2013, this is a school utilization of 77.3%.
Utilization is an easy method for understanding the current capacity situation in a school and for comparing it with other schools.
Capital Asset Management System (CAMS) Facility Rating Index
The BC Ministry of Education has established a Capital Asset Management system (CAMS) for all schools in the province and has contracted with VFA Inc. to conduct facility condition audits.
The purpose of the facility condition audit is to determine the equivalent age and condition of each school building(s). The condition includes structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, equipment and furnishings and life safety. An audit of site conditions is also included.
The audit determines what resources will be required over the coming years to maintain or replace aging facilities. Each school is given a rating called the Facility Condition Index (FCI). This is a comparative index allowing the Ministry to rank each school against all others in the province and is expressed as a decimal percentage of the cost to remediate maintenance deficiencies divided by the current replacement value i.e. 0.26.
For practical purposes, the ratings have the following meaning:
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0.00 to 0.05 – Excellent Near new condition. Meets present and foreseeable future requirements. |
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0.05 to 0.15 – Good Good condition. Meets all present requirements. |
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0.15 to 0.30 – Average Has significant deficiencies, but meets minimum requirements. Some significant building system components nearing the end of their normal life cycle. |
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0.30 to 0.60 – Poor Does not meet requirements. Immediate attention required to some significant building systems. Some significant building systems at the end of their life cycle. Parts may no longer be in stock or very difficult to obtain. High risk of failure of some systems. |
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0.60 and above – Very Poor Does not meet requirements. Immediate attention required to most of the significant building systems. Most building systems at the end of their life cycle. Parts may no longer be in stock or very difficult to obtain. High risk of failure of some systems. |
The FCI is a significant factor the Ministry of Education uses to determine funding priorities for rejuvenation or replacement projects. Generally, a school will not be considered for replacement unless the FCI is close to 0.60 or above.
Seismic Mitigation
In 2004, the Ministry of Education launched the School Seismic Mitigation Program in an effort to identify schools that may have structural risks associated with a seismic event.
In 2004, a partnership was developed with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC as well as leading post educational research facilities to evaluate schools for seismic safety based on the latest research from major earthquakes around the globe.
Since 2004, these experts have developed new guidelines and new assessment tools to conduct a comprehensive reassessment leading to a more accurate picture of seismic safety risks in B.C. schools. Risk categories have been established to determine the various levels of seismic risks in schools. All schools in BC have now been assessed against this criterion.
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High 1 (H1) Most vulnerable structure. At highest risk of widespread damage or structural failure, not repairable after a large seismic event. Structural and non-structural seismic upgrades required. |
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High 2 (H2) Vulnerable structure, at high risk of widespread damage or structural failure, likely not repairable after a large seismic event. Structural and non-structural seismic upgrades required. |
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High 3 (H3)Isolated failure of building elements such as walls are expected, building not likely repairable after a large seismic event. Structural and non-structural seismic upgrades required. |
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Medium (M) Isolated damage to building elements is expected, non-structural elements (such as bookshelves, lighting) are at risk of failure. Non-structural upgrades required. Building to be upgraded or replaced within the Capital Plan when it has reached the end of its useful life. |
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Low (L) Least vulnerable structure. Would experience isolated damage and would probably be repairable after a seismic event. Non-structural upgrades may be required. |
In general, the seismic risk increases in BC as one travels from the Alberta border to the ocean. The entire lower mainland of BC, including the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District, is located in a seismic zone with a higher risk than many other parts of BC.
The latest Seismic Structural Risk Rating report was issued in September 2013 and shows updated risk ratings by block for all schools within the Province‘s 37 high risk seismic zones, including the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District schools.
Blocks are essentially areas within a school that are of different construction types, therefore having different structural characteristics. For example, gymnasiums are typically a different type of structure than classroom blocks. The list shows the overall risk rating for the school, as well as the status by block.
Schools constructed since 1992 are not listed on the report. These schools were constructed to modern structural codes and should not require structural seismic upgrading.
Building Envelope
In the early 1980, the provincial Building Code underwent a significant change. The revised Building Code made many changes to the way the exterior of buildings were to be constructed to better accommodate weather effects and to promote sustainable and energy efficient construction principles.
Some of the buildings constructed under this revised code had problems with deteriorating conditions within the exterior walls, windows and other penetrations through what is called the “building envelope”.
In an effort to mitigate long term deterioration and damage to the building, the province created a public sector program to repair identified problems in the building envelope. This Building Envelope Program (BEP) is administered by the Risk Management Branch of the BC Ministry of Finance.
It should be noted that not all schools qualify for this program. First, it only applies to schools constructed after 1984 and second; schools must first undergo an assessment before funds or project numbers are assigned. The assessment will determine if there is a building envelope condition and there is a complicated rating system to assign the building a score. The rating score will determine the priority for repairs if they are needed.
School districts can apply for funding under this program. School districts work with their Ministry of Education Planning Officer to confirm or amend the priority order, based on the planned utilization of the individual school facilities and other rejuvenation work that may be completed in conjunction with the building envelope remediation work. Individual BEP projects may then be submitted as part of the Capital Plan submission.
The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District has a list of the currently identified projects that qualify under this program. They are identified in this report and where numbers are shown in the report, they are the current rating score.
There are two important things to note about building envelope:
- Although a school (or part of a school) has been identified and a rating score determined, there is no guarantee that the building envelope repair or remediation will promptly proceed. The program is large and the funding is not unlimited.
- It is not just these buildings that may have building envelope concerns. Many of the older schools (or even new schools) may develop building envelope concerns just due to age, or as part of a newer addition or other work in the school. These defects are often identified through school district maintenance and routine inspection programs.
Official Community Plan (OCP)
The Official Community Plan (OCP) is a long range (20 year) guide for the municipality that helps Council in making decisions on matters such as land use and growth, transportation, agricultural preservation, economic development and housing.
The District of Maple Ridge Official Community Plan (OCP) was last updated with minor housekeeping amendments and adopted on January 20, 2014 through OCP Adoption Bylaw No. 7060-2014. A copy of the OCP is available online at: http://www.mapleridge.ca/316/Official-Community-Plan
The City of Pitt Meadows Official Community Plan (OCP) was adopted through Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2352-2007. A copy of the OCP is available online at: http://www.pittmeadows.bc.ca/assets/Planning/pdfs/OCP%2007jan2009.pdf