Two more Bluewater District School Board elementary schools could close -- Beavercrest Community School in Markdale and Paisley Central School.
The board's committee of the whole passed motions to begin accommodation reviews for schools in the Paisley and Markdale areas. Closing those two school are among the recommendations.
Becky Maus has a child at Paisley Central and was at the board meeting. She says it will be a sad day for the community if the school closes. "We're an area that's built on small communities and the importance of relationships and to me by taking these small schools out of our small communities, they're going to ruin an important foundation," says Maus.
Board chair Ron Motz says he's sympathetic to parents' concerns, but says the board must consider the financial implications of declining enrolment. "The problem that we have is that we have limited dollars. It's not that we have anything against the communities, it's not that we want to do it, it's just something we have to do to stay financially responsible," says Motz.
Beavercrest would close in next June and Paisley Central in June 2018. Students from Beavercrest would go to Holland Chatsworth Community School, Macphail Memorial Elementary School in Flesherton or Spruce Ridge Community School in Durham.
The Paisley area accommodation review would see the grade 9-12 students at Chesley District Community School go to Walkerton District or Saugeen District Secondary School starting in the 2017-18 school year. The Paisley Central students would go to Chesley District, Walkerton District Community School or Port Elgin Saugeen Central School.
The Bluewater Board's committee of the whole decision to start the accommodation reviews still has to made official at the next regular board meeting September 20th.