Public input meeting scheduled for Feb. 23
Heather MacAdam, heathermacadam@thecasket.ca


      The Strait Regional School Board has set the date for the second last step on the St. Mary’s school closure review process.
      A public input meeting has been set for Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Education Centre.
      Under provincial regulations the board is required to hold the public meeting prior to March 15. The results of the review must be announced by March 31.
      All board members must attend the Feb. 23 meeting to be able to vote on the final decision, which will be held at the board’s monthly meeting in March.
      The board put both St. Mary’s Education Centre and St. Mary’s Academy under review last March.
      St. Mary’s Academy met four of the six criteria recently approved by the board for identifying schools for review closure, but St. Mary’s Education did not meet any. However, it was felt the best way to meet the needs of student was to combine the schools.
      During last week’s working committee meeting, Terry Doyle, director of operations, made a presentation based on the school study committee report. The committee is made up of representatives from the public.
      Doyle said the committee did an excellent job on the report, adding there was a lot of information to consider.
      “This very difficult task was handled professionally, with attention to detail ensuring that their mandate as laid out under the Education Act was met,” Doyle said in his report.
      “The information gathered through extensive community consultation, research into previous amalgamations and the findings of the committee is presented very effectively.”
      Doyle said the comments and conclusions in the report are based on the perspective of the school community.
      “Much of the perspective comes from what is best known, and that is existing conditions. This is extremely common and well intentioned but partially ignores a larger body of knowledge used to create facility space and program standards,” he said in this report.
      “As prudent managers of public funds with relative decreasing budgets, all aspects of proposals and recommendations must be considered to help ensure that maximum benefit is realized from available resources.”
      During the meeting, board member Kim Horton said she has concerns about the amalgamation of the schools, including how the gym will be scheduled and students’ access to library services.
      “They just want what everyone else has – that’s all they’re asking for,” Horton said.
      She added she is disappointed that the board has reached this phase of the school review process and they have not yet visited the school as a board.
      Richelle MacLaughlin said she has been to visit the school herself, adding she has concerns around the existing space. MacLaughlin said the school gym doesn’t have proper ventilation and asked whether issues like that would be covered in the $1.5 million allotted for renovations to the school.
      “We’re going to hit that in no time,” she said.
      Doyle said the $1.5 million isn’t cast in stone.
      “The requirement has to drive the cost,” he said.
      However, he said he wasn’t aware of ventilation issues at the school, adding the board doesn’t provide air conditioning for gyms.
      George Kehoe asked Doyle where the estimated $1 million in savings over 10 years by closing the education centre would come from.
      Doyle said in 10 years, major items such as the roof and boiler of the school would have to be replaced.
      “There’s a $1 million in funding that wouldn’t have to be spent on this building.”
      Superintendent Jack Beaton said the board is currently spending about $1 million each year on access space in schools.
      “We have, basically, the same buildings that we had 10 years ago with the exception of Framboise and Riverview,” he said. “But we also have, probably, 2,000 to 3,000 fewer students. That creates that extra space.”
      Beaton said that doesn’t necessarily result in empty rooms in schools, but there are rooms that are less occupied.
      “You still have to heat that space, you still have to light that space, you still have to maintain all that space, so that creates considerable expense.”
      As enrolment decreases and space stays the same, a higher percentage of the board’s money goes to maintaining the facilities.
      Board chair Mary Jess MacDonald said that impacts the board’s funding from the Department of Education.
      “They look at the space we have,” she said.
      MacDonald said she has received a few emails from parents concerns the St. Mary’s review process.
      “We are in the process now. It’s not addressing any of the concerns, specifically, other than acknowledging that we hear them and we are receiving the input. We will be furthering that by going out and meeting in the community and listening to them and making sure we are clear on what they are saying.”
      Beaton said the school review process provides considerable opportunity for people to voice their opinions and concerns.
      “In the St. Mary’s case, particularly, that study committee did an exceptional job. They went out and did six community meetings in the St. Mary’s municipality. Every community, every parent had an opportunity to participate and they had pretty good turn out.”
      Those concerns were put into the study committee report, he added.
      “Our next step going over to St. Mary’s in late February will be that opportunity to get more information, to hear from people and add to that knowledge that board members have to make the decision.