Unhappy parents told busing to Lakefield is a done deal

Board criticized for lack of transparency in making decision for East City families

The decision to bus a Peterborough school community into Lakefield next year is a done deal.

That message was sent by the public school board at an information session held at King George Public School on Monday night.

About 200 parents were in attendance to express their concerns about Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s plan to bus students to the vacant Ridpath school while a new school is being built at the King George site.

The board has cited several reasons for its decision to bus the students to Lakefield. It all boils down to safety, as the King George property will become a chaotic construction site once work begins on the new school next year.

That will be compounded by vehicle and pedestrian traffic during the school day.

Students will spend the 2019 school year in Lakefield, with the new school to open in 2020.

“We are going to be forward,” Jack Nigro, superintendent of education, told parents, some of who are angry about the board’s decision to move forward before consulting with parents.

“There’s been no transparency,” said parent Donald Fraser. “I don’t think it [the decision] should be written in stone.”

Nigro said that it seemed “genuine” to seek input from parents beforehand, yet the board weighed all the options and concluded busing student to Ridpath was its best and least disruptive option.

One mother asked how the board knew what would be the least disruptive to parents, when they didn’t even ask.

“You’re not listening to us,” another father said from the crowd.

“This was far and away the most logical decision,” said Chris Arnew, superintendent of education, business and corporate services, while acknowledging that it isn’t an ideal situation for everyone.

Arnew said that the use of the Monseigneur-Jamot school site on Romaine Street wasn’t an option, because there is no way the board could afford the estimated $3 million it would cost to lease the property.

Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) will be tasked with working out busing details, including pick-up and drop-off locations.

For parents that drive, the board said that they have many resources to ensure students won’t be stranded in Lakefield in the event of students getting sick. As for snow days, parents will be stuck to fend for themselves.

“We can’t take that on,” said Nigro. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Karen Cunningham, chair of the King George school council, said that neither she nor her members were consulted before the decision was made. However, she understands why the board had to make the decision, agreeing that the safety concerns of students far outweigh the inconvenience.

“As a parent, I’m apprehensive about the move,” admitted Cunningham, whose son is in Grade

5.

“It may not be the perfect situation … but it’s important to keep the school together [even though] it means travelling to Lakefield every day.”