The Near North District School Board announced that the closure of Widdifield Senior Secondary has been delayed.
“The board has confirmed that the proposed timeframe for the closure of Widdifield Senior Secondary School and the relocation of those students to Chippewa Secondary School and West Ferris Secondary School will be delayed,” the Near North Board stated in a release.
“It is anticipated that the closure will be delayed by a minimum of one year."
The Board says the closure time frame will be based on future funding by the Education Ministry.
“While the NNDSB had intended to apply for funding to have the closure and transitions completed by September 2019, funding and requirements have not been confirmed by the provincial government as of yet,” the NNDSB release continued.
“As such the closure and relocation of students will not proceed as originally scheduled.”
This year was supposed to be the final year of Widdifield Senior Secondary after the Accommodation Review Committee’s recommendation to shut the doors of the local high school in the spring of 2019, right on the heels of the school's 50th anniversary.
The board spent two years looking at capital plans through the process and elected to consolidate three high schools into two.
“While the board still intends to proceed with the closure of Widdifield, our focus remains on the students and ensuring the appropriate facilities and resources are in place to ensure programming requirements can be met,” the NNDSB release concluded.
