The values and princicples that will guide a new plan to deal with Nanaimo’s aging schools and empty classrooms are a step closer to completion.

Nelson Allen, chairman of the facilities planning committee, said the draft framework – a set of principles the committee will use to develop the final facilities renewal plan – should go to the school board in mid-November.

Public feedback will be gathered shortly after the plan is approved by trustees.

The draft document will not include specific details about individual schools, said Allen.

Principles addressed will include the concept of ‘neighbourhoods of learning’, which involves co-operation with community groups, individuals and other levels of government to ensure a broader use of schools, he said.

It will also include principles related to the impact of all-day kindergarten, the district’s five-year capital plan, which outlines those buildings prioritized for renovations or replacement, public feedback collected over the summer and fall and updated enrolment projections.

Allen said the latest enrolment projections predict an increase in student numbers starting in a couple of years and continuing for more than a decade.

Trustees collected public input in setting the guiding values through an online survey, two public meetings and other written submissions.

Allen said the district received hundreds of responses, which the planning committee has taken into account while developing the facilities framework.

Once the public has a chance to respond to the guiding principles, the feedback will help guide development of the final facilities plan, which Allen said the committee hopes to present to trustees by the end of January.

reporter@nanaimobulletin.com