Trustees urged to keep St. Agatha open
Those trying to save the tiny school say it’s unfair they have to continually fight for its survival
WATERLOO REGION — Parents and students pleaded yet again with education trustees not to close tiny, decaying St. Agatha Catholic Elementary School in Wilmot Township.
Tessa Jagiellowicz, in Grade 4, told elected trustees Monday that it’s stressful and unfair to attend a school that’s always threatened by closure.
“Please do the right thing. Keep our school open until a new one is built,” she said. She asked trustees to ask the province to fund a replacement school.
“Closing our school means that I will have a longer bus ride, which means less time for homework, school teams and other activities,” said Grade 6 student Zoe McCabe, Tessa’s older sister.
Their faltering school is down to 82 students. It operates at less than half its capacity and needs $3.4 million in repairs in the next decade. It’s the smallest, least-used school in Waterloo Catholic District School Board, part of a group of three elementary schools that are all well under capacity.
Controversy over its fate has paralyzed the board. Since 2009 trustees have twice rejected recommendations to close St. Agatha. But they have also refused to save it, not putting extra money into repairs and not demanding provincial funding to replace it.
Trustee Manuel da Silva voted to close the school in 2014. “I was listening to the facts presented to us,” he said. He’s frustrated that planning staff have come under fire for recommending closure.
School planners want St. Agatha closed so that its students, who are mostly bused from elsewhere, can be redistributed to fill empty space at St. Clement Catholic School in St. Clements and Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School in Waterloo. The board expects to decide St. Agatha’s fate March 27.
Trustees have been told that the Ministry of Education will not pay to repair or replace the school, under new policies meant to reduce empty space and run costeffective boards.
“This small but mighty St. Agatha school reminds me of the biblical account of David and Goliath,” parent Ron McCormick told trustees. He has three children at the school and urged the board to keep it open pending a replacement.
“I think it’s unfair for the ministry to expect parents and communities to fight on an almost annual basis to keep their school doors open,” Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris told trustees. “It’s essential that we work together to save our rural schools.”