Troy Shantz
Fresh from consolidating two city high schools, the public school board will now turn its attention to closing a few more elementary schools.
A pupil accommodation report prepared by the Lambton Kent District School Board has already fingered London Road, Lakeroad, Queen Elizabeth II and Confederation Central for possible closure.
Students at those schools would be sent to other facilities or to a brand new elementary school proposed for board-owned property in Sherwood Village.
Consolidating the board’s French Immersion program at Errol Road school is also on the table.
“We have a lot of buildings that are in need of repair, and that’s very common in the province right now,” said education superintendent Gary Girardi.
The four schools eyed for closure need up to $14.8 million in repairs and upkeep between 2015 and 2024, according to the report.
And none of them are close to student capacity. Lakeroad, for example, was built in 1946 and designed for 383 students. Last year, it housed 162 students.
“We would like our schools to be full, and then we would like to be able to support the needs of those schools. We think we can do a better job if our schools were closer to capacity,” said Girardi, noting the number of school-aged children continues to decline each year.
A new and well-equipped elementary school is one viable option, Girardi said.
“If you look at P.E. McGibbon, that school is in good shape and it’s now going to service that area of the southern corner of Sarnia for years to come.”
Sherwood Village is another ideal location, said Girardi, noting 300 children are currently bussed out of the surrounding neighbourhood.
The board already owns the land in Sherwood Village Park, which stretches between Trudeau and Finch Drive.
Elementary French immersion is also under review. The report says programs at High Park and Cathcart Boulevard schools could be combined with that already offered at Errol Road, with the addition of about six more classrooms.
Girardi said a similar merger was done in Petrolia, which now offers all French immersion at a single-track site, Hillcrest Public.
Driving the changes is shifting demographics. Between 2010 and 2015 Ontario had a birthrate of plus 6.5% while the birthrate in Lambton-Kent fell 4.3%.
Though the local birthrate is projected to level out after 2020, classroom reductions need to be made now, Girardi said.
“These are not easy decisions for us. We are making decisions, trying to use the information as best as we can in terms of supporting the needs of kids, trying to consolidate schools into areas of our community, and to be accountable with the funds that we receive from the ministry, and ultimately the taxpayers.”
The 2015/2016 pupil accommodation report can be found at www.lkdsb.net under “Accommodation Review.”