Halifax parents to fight school closures

Parents on both sides of Halifax Harbour are getting ready for a fight to save schools in their areas from possible closure.

A group of consultants hired by the Halifax Regional School Board to draw up a 10-year capital plan have suggested that Joseph Howe Elementary School in Halifax be closed because of falling enrolment and that Bicentennial School in Dartmouth be transformed into an adult learning centre.

But the board disagrees with those two suggestions. In fact, board staff have said Joseph Howe on Maynard Street, with 111 students, should be replaced with a new elementary school. Staff said that Bicentennial, which has 317 students from primary to Grade 9, should be used as a junior high school.

The conflicting views worry parent Tessa Mandel, who sits on the school advisory committee at Joseph Howe. She's also concerned a new school would house too many students.

"I think the questions would be things like, are they talking about a much larger school? This is a very small community with only 130 or 140 students in it, and we have really small classes," Mandel said.

"We feel that in this area that's really important to have smaller classes and more teacher attention for the kids."

Mandel said parents from the school are getting together regularly to talk about strategies to protect Joseph Howe.

Parents with children attending Bicentennial are also meeting to talk about ways to save their school.

Halifax regional Coun. Gloria McCluskey, who represents the area, said parents are getting ready for a fight.

"The school is close to ball fields, it's next to the park, it's close to the Sportsplex, it's across from the high school and it's really in a good location," McCluskey said of Bicentennial.

"So, it's a great school and it should stay. A lot of the children who go to that school are from low-income families, and it's just a couple of blocks from where they live," she said, noting that sending the children farther away to school could create hardships for their parents.

The consultants have also recommended closure of St. Catherine's Elementary on Connolly Street with an enrolment of 311 students, St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary on Russell Street with 235 students and Cornwallis Junior High on Preston Street with 239 students.

Parents have three more public meetings to argue their schools should remain intact. They are scheduled for March 17, 19 and 26.

Howard Windsor the man who was appointed by the province to run the board will present his list of preferred school closures to the province on April 2.