An Accommodation Review Committee comprised of students, staff and parents will be established to provide input on consolidating the city's oldest high school, Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School (SCITS) at the St. Clair Secondary School site (SCSS).
At its meeting Tuesday night in Sarnia, Lambton Kent District School Board trustees were told the building, built in 1922, is in rough shape and faces heavy maintenance costs to operate in the future.
Director of Education Jim Costello says SCITS can accommodate 1,050 students but only has 564 enrolled for this year.
He says if approved in April, the consolidation would result in 1,108 projected students attending SCSS.
"We would move all of the students into the SCITS site, we may have to add some portables so it will be a difficult year. During that year, we would improve the St. Clair Secondary School site, we would put in a $14-million request for capital improvement to the ministry for consolidation funding. Then, in September 2017, we would move everybody over to the St. Clair Secondary School site."
St. Clair Secondary School would receive $12.2-million in upgrades including HVAC and electrical upgrades as well as exterior rehabilitation and interior renewal.
Consolidating the schools would save an estimated $1.1-million beginning in 2017.
Tuesday, board trustees also voted to establish another committee to look at consolidating South Plympton Public School at the Wyoming Public School site.
Enrollment numbers would increase 110 students to a total enrollment number of 233, with the addition of two classrooms and a new gym.
The Larger Picture
Lambton Kent District School Board is looking at eight separate phases for the Proposed Pupil Accommodation Review Plan.
Tuesday's board meeting approved two Accommodation Review Committees to overlook staff's reports on consolidating SCITS at the SCSS site and South Plympton Public School at Wyoming Public School site.
The eight phases also include consolidations within Sarnia Elementary, Blenheim-Ridgetown Area, Corunna-Mooretown Area, Forest Area, Chatham Elementary, and Dresden Area.
Director of Education Jim Costello says he likes to think of it as a road-map for the next four to six years, depending on how quickly the board would progress forward.
"If we are successful in all of them, we will go from having 65 schools down to 49 schools. Our capacity will go from 70 per cent up to 83 per cent. So, we'll be more efficient, we'll have fewer buildings, hopefully if we get consolidation funding, we will have some newer buildings, and we'll be able to improve the learning environment for our students."
LKDSB rate of enrollment decline is 1.6 per cent from 2014-15 to 2015-16, which is nine times the provincial decline rate (of 0.17 per cent).