Board staff supports closure of St. Charles school in Thorold
Niagara Catholic staff prefer one, not two, elementary schools in Thorold.
In its interim final report, Tuesday, the school board recommends the closure of St. Charles Catholic Elementary School and the movement of all students to Monsignor Clancy Catholic Elementary School.
A pupil accommodation review is looking at the almost half-empty schools. It included meetings with staff, students, the two Catholic school councils and a public session.
Together the schools have 621 students and 370 vacant spaces. Anticipated enrolment in September expects to put both below 50 per cent filled, said education superintendent Ted Farrell.
The two schools share the same boundaries. St. Charles serves early learning kindergarten to Grade 3 students. Monsignor Clancy has Grade 4 to Grade 8 students.
Tuesday’s report to Niagara Catholic District School Board’s committee-of-the-whole came before a special board meeting at Monsignor Clancy on May 29 to hear presentations about the two school proposals.
Farrell said the final decision on the two schools remains with trustees. They will make it in June.
The interim final report will be posted on Niagara Catholic’s website, www.niagaracatholic.ca, this week.
The staff report supports the move to Monsignor Clancy because it is a bigger building on a larger property. The former high school contains two gymnasiums, a theatre, cafeteria, music room and chapel as well as playing fields.
These features often are unavailable to elementary schools now being built, staff said in their report.
Closing St. Charles would also reduce transportation costs because more students would walk to Clancy.
Clancy would require alterations to accommodate primary school children from St. Charles but it also has room to add playgrounds outside for younger students.
The closure of St. Charles and alterations for a move to Clancy would not be complete until 2020.
Thorold/Merritton trustee Pat Vernal said there is support in the Thorold community for one school.
“I have not talked to one parent who said they were against it,” she told trustees. “They are for having one school, they have children going to both schools.”