With enrolment declining and tax dollars scarce, the Near North District School Board is looking at more ways to stretch the dollar, and that includes closing more schools.
Last night, the Board of Trustees started an accommodation review for schools in the North Bay Planning area including E.T. Carmichael, E.W. Norman and W.J Fricker public schools and Chippewa, West Ferris and Widdifield secondary schools.
The review is in response to a staff report that outlines recommended school consolidation plans that present an opportunity to:
- address the Board’s under-utilized space in its schools,
- complies with the Ministry of Education’s funding model to ensure that students are accommodated in facilities that are safe and healthy,
- promotes optimal learning environments and offers optimal programming options.
"It will have an effect, not just on local education but certainly the reality or perception of North Bay as a growing community," Board Chair David Thompson told BayToday. "It's a reality schools across the province are facing.
"Local education always seems to be forgotten until it's into crisis mode and people forget that school boards are an important economic tool of any community."
But Thompson doesn't see the combining of the three high schools as inevitable.
"We have a great history of either accepting a staff recommendation, altering the recommendation or going against something completely. We have a great track record and that tells me that we listen to the ARC's (Accommodation Review Committee), we listen to our communities and certainly take all the input into our final decision. It's not a slam dunk.
"We welcome any constructive suggestions during this ARC process in order that the best decision is made for our current and future staff and students," said Thompson.
The ARC Committee will be formed in January 2017 and the first public meeting will take place on February 15, 2017.
Trustees will make their final decision at the June 27, 2017, Board Meeting.
This will be the Board’s first accommodation review under its recently revised Student Accommodation Review Policy, which is available on the Board’s website at www.nearnorthschools.ca under Community/Capital Planning.
A full list of meeting dates and information on the ARC process will be posted on the Board’s website in the near future.
