The future looks bleak for more schools at the Lambton-Kent District School Board.
A report going before trustees on Tuesday night shows that declining enrolment and changes to the provincial funding formula are making it very tough to keep under-used schools open. The report states that enrolment will drop by about 600 students over the next decade and the board will lose about $4-million a year if it doesn't close more schools.
Superintendent Gary Girardi says funding is always affected by enrolment and reducing schools is necessary.
"The school board continues to face on-going financial challenges that are a result of declining enrolment," says Girardi. "By 2027 we're expecting a decrease of 352 elementary students and 248 secondary students."
The school board currently has nearly 22,000 students across 64 schools but still has almost 8,500 empty pupil spaces, which means about 28% of school space is not being used. The average age of schools at the Lambton-Kent District School Board is about 49 years, which is about 11 years older than the provincial average.
Girardi says closing schools is wise in order to use money more effectively and strengthen the learning environment for the most students possible.
"A decline in student enrolment is directly tied to a decline in funding as well," says Girardi. "If we had fewer schools but they were fuller we would be in a better financial position to support students, that would mean providing broader programs and enhancing learning environments."
Girardi says the province has put all pupil accommodation reviews on hold and the board is waiting for new provincial guidelines.
"While we still acknowledge that we have those on-going financial challenges, we are waiting because the ministry is reviewing its own process which has a direct impact on our next steps, if we are to have any," says Girardi.