Hagersville feels Burlington’s pain

RE: School closure process a nightmare for parents (March 24)

Writer Denise Davy has perfectly described the process used by the Grand Erie District School Board, (GEDSB), here in the rural counties of Norfolk and Haldimand. A few years ago, GEDSB used the same process in Norfolk to close Port Dover’s High School. Delhi’s high school was considered next on the list, but was saved due to its proximity to Oxford County. In Haldimand, that would save Dunnville Secondary, due to its proximity to the Niagara Region. Now the GEDSB has its sights on Haldimand, worrying us here in Hagersville, since the school’s northern boundary has been changed to just outside town, sending those students to Caledonia, whose high school, McKinnon Park Secondary, has had at least 12 portables since almost its inception. For years, we in Hagersville, were able to brag we had the largest native population in any high school in Ontario, if not Canada. Now, Caledonia has most of the native students, yet Hagersville was historically their school. The board has given declining enrolment as the reason they’re looking at the high schools in Haldimand, but the latest population data shows Hagersville’s growth well ahead of every other town in Haldimand, Cayuga making some gains, and Caledonia actually declining somewhat. One need only look at our Summer’s End Festival here in Hagersville, to see countless young families are making this their community. What’s in their future? Who knows where this will end, but, personally, we know the anguish these board decisions can cause. Joyce Harvey, Hagersville