School closures will hurt community development, says consultant

Closing small schools on P.E.I. could have devastating consequences for the communities involved, says an education consultant from Nova Scotia.

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Paul Bennett, co-founder of the Nova Scotia Small Schools Initiative, said the P.E.I. government shouldn't close schools without considering the impact it would have on future community development.

"You have to come at it from the point of view that schools are community assets," said Bennett.

"School authorities are part of the community and they have a responsibility for community development. Public education abandoning small towns and villages: it's antithetical to the development of vital rural communities."

Advocating for community hubs

Bennett is advocating for a community hub model, where space in a school building is given over to other community services and businesses.

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He questioned whether closing small schools will save money for the province in the long run.

He said capital improvements required at remaining schools and increased transportation costs will eat away at those savings.

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