121 schools in Ontario set to close
Report finds rural communities bearing the brunt of board’s cuts
Ontario school boards have recommended closing 121 schools in Ontario over the next three years, hitting rural communities the hardest, according to a new report by People for Education.
The study, based on numbers provided by the province’s 72 school boards this spring, was an attempt to paint a clearer picture of an emotionally-charged issue that cuts to the heart of communities, said Annie Kidder, executive director of the research and advocacy group.
School closures have generated protests and outrage from families across the province during the current school year, but how many of the province’s 4,900 schools are vulnerable has been subject to dispute.
Education Minister Mitzie Hunter has said up to 300 schools are under review for possible shuttering as a result of low enrolment or disrepair.
But organizations such as the Ontario Alliance Against School Closures have estimated that twice as many — about 600 — are on the chopping block and have called for a moratorium on “reckless, hurried and undemocratic” decisions.
“It’s a very big impact on a huge swath of Ontario that we have to take very seriously. There are fundamentally deep flaws in the process that are not working for rural Ontario.”
ANNIE KIDDER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE FOR EDUCATION
“The numbers we were hearing were all over the map,” says Kidder. To get a clearer picture, People for Education collected data from boards and tallied the number of schools actually in the process of being closed, rather than under review.
They found 34 boards had recommended a total of 121schools close by June of 2020, affecting 33,000 students and with a “disproportionate impact” on rural communities, she said. In almost all cases during previous years, such recommendations have been followed.
As of April 30, 58 schools had reached the final stage of being approved for closure by trustees. Votes were pending for another 52.
Twenty-five new schools had been proposed, primarily to consolidate students following two or more closures.
“We’re not saying no school should ever close, we’re saying that’s a lot of schools,” said Kidder. “It’s a very big impact on a huge swath of Ontario that we have to take very seriously. There are fundamentally deep flaws in the process that are not working for rural Ontario.”
A spokesperson for Hunter said based on a preliminary review, the numbers in the report seem consistent with what the Ministry of Education has been monitoring.
Planned closures include12 schools in the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and 19 from the Upper Canada District School Board. Both boards are in eastern Ontario.
While rural schools are often vulnerable because they are smaller, closing them can be particularly difficult for children, resulting in significantly longer school bus rides and the loss of a central feature of their communities.
“We understand the vital role that schools play in any community, particularly our rural communities,” Hunter said Thursday. “Potential school closures are among the most difficult decisions that school boards and communities have to consider.”
Last month, the province announced consultations to develop a new rural education strategy. The first meeting was scheduled to be held Friday in the eastern Ontario town of Merrickville.
But Kidder, who said a new strategy and review of rural funding are long overdue, noted boards are already in the final stages of their decisions.
The People for Education report blames closures on lower enrolment, changes to the provincial funding formula that makes it harder to keep schools with extra spaces operating, and review guidelines that changed the minimum standards and consultation required to close a school.
Parents and students at Robert Bateman High School in Burlington are among those devastated by an unexpected recommendation last month to close their school, which they say is the result of a “flawed closure process” and will have a profound impact on special needs students.
The school has many students with physical and developmental disabilities, is fully accessible and offers a full range of vocational programs.
“The process has been completely disorganized, chaotic and unaccountable,” says Denise Davy, who has one daughter in Grade12 at Bateman and another who had been looking forward to starting Grade 9 there in the fall.
Parents have 16 days between the time the closure was proposed on April 21 and the June 7 vote by Halton District School Board trustees to make their case against the move, she said.
“Parents feel very disrespected and many parents of children with special needs are very afraid for their future schooling.”
Delegations are planning to appear before trustees Monday to oppose the decision.
Hunter said the ministry continues to urge school boards and communities to collaborate and find creative solutions such as sharing excess space with other boards or community groups.