Bluewater District School Board meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 7th, 2017. (photo by Kirk Scott)Bluewater District School Board meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 7th, 2017. (photo by Kirk Scott)
Midwestern

Bluewater Board Receives Preliminary Staff Report On Schools

Some people in the Markdale and Paisley areas are shocked to learn their schools are still up for possible closure.

The Bluewater District School Board received the Preliminary Final Staff Report on accommodation reviews for the two communities.

The recommendations are virtually the same as last fall, after four months of meetings and public consultation.   Beavercrest School in Markdale would close this June and Paisley Central School would close June 2018.

Arran Elderslie Mayor Paul Eagleson was so upset he could hardly find words.

"I read that report this morning and I found it disturbing, and now when I hear the staff explain that report to me this evening I'm, to say the least, very upset," said Eagleson, choking back anger.

There is still another round of public consultation meetings before a final staff report comes out in March. Then it'll be up to trustees to make the final decisions. That's expected in April.

Paisley parent Alicia White-Gibbons said they're disappointed after all the work they put in to make the case to keep the school open. She hopes the trustees are listening.

"We have to trust in our trustees. These are elected officials that just didn't get here for no good reason. They're smart individuals and I really hope that they take their job seriously. People voted them in because they believed in them," said White-Gibbons.

The public consultation meetings are February 28 for Paisley and March 9 for Markdale. Both meetings are at the Bluewater School Board office in Chesley starting at 7pm.

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