Parents vowing to push back against OCDSB school closure plan

Some parents whose children attend schools slated to be closedbythe Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for the 2017/18 school yearare vowing to push back.

AnOCDSB staffrecommends closingseven elementary and middle schools in Ottawa'swest end, and shuttering one east-end highschool.

• D. Aubrey Moodie Intermediate School
• Greenbank Middle School
• Leslie Park Public School
• Grant Alternative School
• CenturyPublic School
• Regina Street Public School
• J.H. Putman Public School
• Rideau High School

Most of the schools on the list are underenrolment capacity, and extra money that helped keep them open by the province is drying up, according to the board.

Grant Alternative School, for example, is at only 38 per centcapacity, with 101students in a facility built for 243.

But parents argue it's one of only a few alternative learning schools in the system, and point out the school's catchmentareawas expanded late last year.

"Well it surprises me quite a bit," said BrentHenneberry, who has four of his five children enrolled at Grant this falland is a member of the alternative schools advisory council that works with the board.

Henneberrysaid parents have been phoning each other this week, stunned by the news.

"We [had been] been told there's nothing in the works about any of the alternative schools closing down," Henneberry said.

John Mahoney, who has two of his three children enrolled at Grant, said his kids would have to travel to Westboro to get the same kind of education at another alternative school, which includes student-directed learning in a non-competitive atmosphere.

"I think if there was talk of closing Grant there would be a lot of push back from parents," said Mahoney.

Grant considered for closure in 2007

Grant Alternative School has been on the chopping block before. It was considered for closure in 2007, but saved because of its special program. But the board's enrolment projections suggest the school's student population will dwindle to just 78 students by 2025.

Henneberry said the board itself could be partly to blame, because it's done a poor job of promoting the alternative education model.

"It hasn't been pushed like the french immersion programs, or anything like that, and I'm sure if it was pushed attendance would go up," Henneberry said.

OCDSB chair Shirley Seward said she's not surprised to see parents fight for the schools their children attend.

"That's what we expect and it's completely understandable that parents and students become attached to their neighbourhood school and will want to look for other solutions," said Seward.

"It's entirely possible that based on the consultation staff may look at all of the input that we have received and may actually have somewhat different recommendations for trustees."

Public consultations ahead

The board hopes to finish public consultations on the proposed closuresby the end of February and make decisions about the seven elementary schoolbefore the next school year begins.

There will be a separateprocess to determine the future of Rideau High School.

Seward said althoughthe short list is by no means a done deal,thestatus quo spending about $8-million a year to staff half-empty schoolsis not an option.

"If we don't deal with the financial problem we're going to have to pay for that out of our own money, which means cutting other programs and services and jobs."

Seward warned that if the board can't demonstrate it's preparedto make those hard decisions, it could affect how much the province is willing to spend on desperately needed new schools in growing areas.

"It's probably the most difficult thing that we as trustees have done," Seward said.