Rainbow Board 'guaranteed' to lose students with school closures, says parent

Parents' reactions across the region are mixed as the Rainbow District School Board made its recommendations about the future of some local schools.

Larchwood Public School gets a reprieve, while Webbwood and Pinecrest Public Schools would shut down if trustees accept the board's recommendations.

• Rainbow Board looking at closing more schools in Sudbury, Espanola
• Northern Ontario community fights to keep local school open

But the board will have fewer students, said Jamie Roque, whose children attend Pinecrest.

"We're going to lose students in the Rainbow District School Board. We're definitely going to lose them," Roque said, "It's not, you know, well maybe. No, it's guaranteed. I've spoken to many parents that will be taking their kids out of the Rainbow District School Board."

Roque plans to make a presentation to trustees next month to try to save Pinecrest.

Despite a recommendation to keep Larchwood open, Chantelle Gorham said that shuffling Grade 7 and 8 students to Chelmsford High robs the school of peer leadership.

"To do that to a small school, take out the leaders and the older kids, really is not an ideal situation," Gorham said.

And the effects of school closure can reverberate throughout the community, said David Wolfe, whose two children attend Webbwood.

"[The community] will no longer be attractive for families to live there because the closest schools are between 13 and 15 kilometres away," Wolff said, "so in that aspect, it will be a detriment and of course that will affect our tax base and also the services that we get from the town."

Under the new recommendations, Wolff will have to send his kids to S. Geiger Public School in Massey next September.

The public is invited to make presentations to trustees next month.

A final decision will be made by trustees in February.

Listen to parents' reaction to board recommendations here