Parents, residents to rally to keep all high schools open

BURLINGTON — The parents of a local high school slated for closure are inviting all residents to a “save our schools” walk next Saturday to advocate for keeping all city high schools open.

This, despite a public school board report on Wednesday recommending two high schools close due to what it says is declining enrolment — an explanation the parents are vigorously challenging.

“We don’t think there should be a school closure at all,” says Amy D’Souza, head of the parent Save LBPS committee for Pearson high school and the walk’s organizer.

D’Souza says declining enrolment will be taken care of by futuregrowth and changing school boundaries.

Lester B. Pearson and Robert Bateman are on the chopping block in education director Stuart Miller’s 281-page program and accommodation review report, which was unveiled at a board meeting Wednesday night.

The report follows months of discussions on which schools to close. It also recommends shifting Bateman’s International Baccalaureate program to Burlington Central for the 2019-20 school year.

The plan is to close Pearson in June 2018, sending its students to M.M. Robinson, and to close Bateman in June 2019, dividing its students between Nelson and M.M. Robinson.

Other proposals include moving French immersion at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary to M.M. Robinson starting in September 2018. M.M. Robinson would also take students from the Evergreen community in east Alton. Aldershot H.S. would be considered for a “magnet” program or themed school.

Miller was blunt about what he called challenges in enrolment and programming and what needs to be to meet them.

He recognized that accommodation reviews and recommended school closures are complex and emotional.

“None of us can question the motivation of anyone else. We’re all here for the betterment of students ... We will implement the will of this board (of trustees). We will work to heal any divisiveness in the community and even (among) our staff.”

With five out of seven Burlington public high schools either experiencing and/or projected to have declining enrolment, including below the ministry guideline of 65 per cent pupil capacity, something has to be done, Miller said.

“Declining enrolment has been around for some time, since the late 1990s in some pockets. No matter how we change the (school) boundaries, some schools will be shortchanged.”

Pearson advocates, who like their school’s small, intimate nature, say the Headon Road building is well under capacity with fewer than 400 students because it is served by only 1.5 elementary feeder schools. Hayden, by comparison, has seven area schools from which to draw students.

Bateman, on New Street in southeast Burlington, serves many special-needs students. It also has a number of special programs including food and hospitality, automotive repair, woodworking and manufacturing.

In recent years, millions of dollars have been spent on program improvements at Bateman, a fact that ranklestrustee Amy Collard.

The board report recommends sending students and that specialized programming down the road to Nelson.

“Why would we rebuild it if we move the program(s) at a cost of $12 million?” Collard asked, referring to the cost of renovations at Nelson and Robinson. “Nelson would be overpopulated and need portables.” Board superintendent Mark Zonneveld said the price tag seems steep but has to be put in perspective.

“From a financial standpoint, it might look like a lot of money, but looking 20 years out, there are significant savings.”

Miller said changes are needed not just to redistribute students, but to give them the “equity of opportunity” for courses and extracurriculars.