Sudbury social media lights up over school board merger proposal

Morning North11:33Merging Ontario's four school boards into one

The Rainbow District School Board in Sudbury is pushing the province to merge four school boards into one. The chair of the board, Doreen Dewar joined us to talk about the benefits of such a move.

With Rainbow District School Board chair Doreen Dewar's recent announcement she would push the Ministry of Education for a four-board merger in Sudbury, CBC audience members have been vocal on our Facebook page to offer their ideas and comments.

During an interview on Morning North,Dewarsaid she was bringing her motion forward again, but even with savings that would be realized through a merger and the potential to keep smaller community schools opendoubted there was any political will to make it happen.

"If we could put the students together, share facilities, maintain our distinct programs, we would have a presence,"Dewarsaid, "we would maintain a school within our small communities."

"Do I have hope that it's going to happen? No, not really."

The debate isn't new. In 2007, a pollcommissioned by the CBCfound thatOntariansgenerally favoured the idea of a single-board system.

Take our poll

PremierKathleenWynnesaid merger talks were off the table, saying in a2014 CBC interview that the Ontario Liberals "...aresupporting the school system as it exists."

Declining enrolment across the city, coupled with a lack of provincial funding, is the root of the shortfall, said Rainbow Board director NormBlaseg.

The Rainbow Board recently said it would consider closing twelve schools in the region, and have challenged community members to find creative ways of keeping money in the public board's coffers.

Even with the funding shortfall, the board has committed $7 million to re-purposingthe former Wembley High School into a central board office.