School rezoning, possible closures, coming for next school year

P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is embarking on amajor study of school populations in the coming year, with a view to extensive rezoning and possible school closures by September 2017.

There were about 50 people at the public meeting of the board of directors of the Public Schools Branch Tuesday evening. Statistics released there revealed four of P.E.I.'s 10 families of schools had utilization rates below 65 per cent with populations expected to fall close to 50 per cent or even lower by 2022.

• The hard numbers on P.E.I. school enrolment: Some overcrowded, many underutilized

In the meantime, the Charlottetown Rural family is already over 100 per cent capacity and growing.

The board of directors approvedmajor reviews at the following families of schools:

• Kinkora
• Montague
• Morell
• Westisle
• Charlottetown Rural
• Colonel Gray

The Colonel Gray family is at 78 per cent capacity and stable, but the board believed it made sense to include that family in the Charlottetown Rural study.

There will not be changes inthe remaining four school families:

• Kensington
• Souris
• Three Oaks
• Bluefield

While the Bluefield family will not be studied in the coming year, the Public Schools Branch will be monitoring school populations in Cornwall.

• Is my school under review? A list of Island schools and whether theyare under review

The reviews will include whether school facilities need to be upgraded.

Widespread consultation process

Public Schools Branch director Parker Grimmer said the decision to launch the reviews is just the beginning of an extensive consultation process.

"School's not different tomorrow, the school community is not different tomorrow," said Grimmer.

"There are timelines involved in the school change policy that do allow for this consultative approach and then a summary report presented to the board of directors."

The consultations will include district advisory councils, parent groups, unions, municipal authorities, principals and school staff.

Previous school closures led to disruptive debate

Janet Payne, who has students in the Kinkora family of schools, is trying to stay positive.

"I'm trying not to be one of those negative people that think this is necessarily going to be a bad thing," said Payne.

"For quite a while we've had certain areas within the Kinkora family of schools where parents had the choice to send their kids to other schools, so something positive that could come out of this is maybe firming up the actual zones so that families within that area would need to commit to one school zone or another."

During the last round of school closures on P.E.I. in 2009, acrimonious debates showed divisions on the school board that proved to be irreconcilable.

The education minister eventually dismissed the school board trustees, which was the first step in a process that saw the English Language School Board dissolved and the creation of the Public Schools Branch.

• Trio of Island schools spared at special board meeting

• P.E.I.'s English Language School Board to be dissolved

There is no sign yet that the coming process will be as disruptive.

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