Georgetown community ready to fight proposed school closure

The Georgetown Elementary Home and School Association held a public meeting Sunday evening as part of an effort to save the school from being closed.

Georgetown Elementary is one of five Island schools that the P.E.I. Public Schools Branch recommended closing in its draft report released last week.

The public meeting organized by the home and school association offered a chance for people to share their frustrations, which many did.

Association president Mallory Peters said she wanted to hear from a range of people, even those without kids attending the schools.

"It's going to affect the whole community," said Peters.

'Essential service'

More than 125 people showed up for the meeting, and more than a dozen took the opportunity to speak.

Many people said they felt like the recommendations were an attack on rural communities.

"How do you plan to develop rural communities if you're removing essential services? And a school is an essential service," said Barry O'Brien, a Georgetown parent.

O'Brien also said the sense of community that his children feel at Georgetown is important to him.

More strict school zones

The school's enrolment is low. It is at 28 per cent capacity with 50 students. The Public Schools Branch projects that population would grow if the school remained open, reaching about 70 by 2024 and stabilizing there.

A number of people pointed out that school zones aren't strictly enforced, and the school's population could be higher.

• Hundreds of students could be affected by stricter zoning control

"If government was to enforce their own zones, their own regulations, if they were to provide us with a full contingent of staff and resources, we wouldn't be here today," said Melvin Ford, a Georgetown parent and member of the home and school association.

Figures from the Public Schools Branch show the current population aged 5-16 in the school's catchment area is 108.

Peters said the issue of stricter school zones is one of the main topics that the home and school association plans to focus on as it prepares to make its case to the public schools branch to save the school.

People will have the chance to share their concerns formally at the Montague family of schools public meeting on Feb.7.

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