'Quality of life' at issue as Thunder Bay parents debate Lakehead public school closures

Superior Morning12:28School Test - Parental Pressures

The Lakehead Public board plans to close two high schools and several elementary schools.. Cathy Alex talks to several parents to get their perspective on the proposal, and we'll hear why they're supporting different options

It's the start of a new school year for families with the Lakehead public board in northwestern Ontario, but it also marks the end of class for some of those buildings.

On October 4, the board will vote on the final recommendations from staff on a plan to close two high schools, and several elementary schools in Thunder Bay, in a process scheduled to start September 2017.

• Lakehead Public Schools hope to offer better education with fewer schools

"The building just felt good to him," said Cheryl Silen of her son's reaction to his first visit to Superior high school, on the north side of Thunder Bay.

"It was nice and open and bright and the technology, he's a tech guy and he really loved the idea of working on new equipment and having the bandwidth available to do all the things that might come up over the years," said Silen of the school, which opened in 2009.'

Administration has recommended that students from Superior be relocated to Hammarskjold high school, and that Superior be turned into an elementary school, after several others in the area are closed.

"It has to do with the quality of life and the quality of the school you want to build," said Dimitri Demetrakopoulos, who favours keeping Hammarskjold open.

According to data from the board, Hammarskjold was built in 1962 with a capacity for close to 1300 students, while Superior's capacity was estimated at about 950.

When the two schools are combined, roughly 1400 students will be making their way through the halls. Demetrakopoulous, whose daughter is in grade nine at Hammarskjold,doesn't believe Superior can handle the flow.

"It would not be a nice place to be on daily basis where people are pushing and shoving and trying to make it to their class on time," he said.

The board is considering the closures because of a change in government policy.

The Ontario Ministry of Education is no longer funding empty space in schools. Officials with the board have said it's costing approximately $1.5-million each year to cover the cost of partially full classrooms, and it wants to put that money to programming instead.

"I know we're not going to be making everybody happy, but I'm hoping in the future that it is the best outcome, school-wise," said Delfina Trevisan, a mother of three who was a member of the school Accommodation Review Committee for the south side of Thunder Bay.

The committees were made up of parents, students, administrators, teacherrepresentatives and at least one trustee, who met privately and publicly and then put forward recommendations.

What worries her is that although enrolment is expected to continue to decline at a certain rate, no one can predict the future.

"We can't see a crystal ball and see what's going to happen in a few years. Are we doing a disservice maybe by closing down too many schools?"

Public delegations, who submitted a request to speak by August 30, willoffertheir thoughts on the renewal plans at a series of meetings September 13 to September 15.

North Side Renewal Plan

• Approve the consolidation of students from Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute into Hammarskjold High School for the 2017-2018 school year and approve the closure of St. James Public School, C.D. Howe Public School and Vance Chapman Public School, effective June 30, 2018 relocating students from these schools to the renovated Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute site, effective September 2018.

South Side Renewal Plan

• Approve the consolidation of students from Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute into Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute for the 2017-2018 school year and approve the closure of Agnew H. Johnston Public School and Edgewater Park Public School, effective June 30, 2018 relocating students from these schools to a newly constructed elementary school on the Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute site, effective September 2018.