Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustees on Monday approved revised timelines for three secondary school pupil accommodation review committees that will encompass 15 secondary schools and begin work in January 2011. The revised timelines come after trustees last month expressed concerns over proposed committee and public meeting dates crossing over the upcoming election period.

“We are starting next January, so that it provides us time to ensure that we create the appropriate process, that we ensure that we are building in enough consultation so that our community is engaged and then in essence, it will allow us also to be very organized in that direction,” said director of education John Malloy.

Hamilton’s public high schools are considered 87 per cent full, with 2,600 extra pupil spaces for which the school board does not get funding. Student enrolment is expected to decline sharply during the next 10 years with surplus student spots predicted to reach 6,000.

Three committees, to be comprised of principals, teachers, students, parents, trustees and ward councillors, are being set up to find ways to consolidate schools and services. The three committees will examine Ancaster High, Highland, Parkside and Westdale; Barton, Hill Park, Mountain, Sherwood and Sir Allan MacNab; and Delta, Glendale, Orchard Park, Parkview, Sir John A Macdonald and Sir Winston Churchill. The goal of each committee will be to recommend how to reduce the surplus spots and make better use of school space.

Each committee will meet every three weeks for a total of 14 meetings, including 10 working meetings and four public meetings.

“Their reports would be due to the director’s office in January 2012 and then the decision making will have to be consistent with the policy, which would likely work out to a presentation and report to board in February 2012, leading to eventual decisions in either April or May of 2012,” said interim manager of accommodation and planning Dan McKerrall.

The revised timelines will go before the board for final approval on March 22.

“Then we’ll begin moving quickly,” said Malloy. “We have to educate people regarding exactly what this process is. We then have to educate the community regarding what type of involvement is needed. We haven’t had a secondary ARC in quite some time, so we would want to be sure that we’re doing the education, we’re inviting the community members and that everybody’s fully aware of what’s suppose to happen.”