Lakehead public school board considers school closures

The Lakehead District School Board is looking at closing and consolidating several schools in Thunder Bay over the next two years in large part due to declining enrolment.

A report included in the board's Tuesday evening meeting agenda spells out proposed 'school renewal plans' for both Thunder Bay's south and north sides.

Overall, the report shows that a number of schools run by the public board are below the provincial average in terms of utilization. It predicts that enrolment will continue to decline until 2020, when numbers are expected to stabilize.

On Thunder Bay's south side, the report proposes closing Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute and having all south-side public high school students attend a renovated Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute.

Under the plan, Churchill would close after the 2016-2017 school year.

A new elementary school would then be built on the former Churchill site for students attending Agnew H. Johnston and Edgewater Park Public Schools. Those facilities would then close after the 2017-2018 school year.

The report notes that Agnew doesn't have issues with being under-capacity, but that it's too large a building on too small a lot, and doesn't have room to expand.

The report also recommends applying to the province for funding to build an expansion to Kingsway Park Public School, and moving students from Hyde Park school into the expanded facility.

North side proposals

The report also explores two options for Thunder Bay's north side.

One proposal would see Hammarskjold High School close and all public high school students on the north side attend an expanded Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute starting in the fall of 2017.

C.D. Howe and St. James public schools would also close and those students would transfer to an expanded Vance Chapman Public School.

The second proposalfor the north side would closeSuperior CVI instead after the 2016-2017 school year and transferall north-side public high school students to a renovated Hammarskjold.

In that case,C.D Howe, St. James and Vance Chapman schools would close and those students wouldtransferto thecurrent Superior CVI building that would be renovated to accommodateelementary students.

The report recommends that the board start gathering input on the renewal plans, and apply to the Ministry of Education for the appropriatefunding.