St. Louis Catholic Elementary School in Leamington is no longer set for closure under revised recommendations being put forward to trustees at the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.
The final staff reports for the Amherstburg and west Windsor-area reviews of empty student spaces at schools are largely unchanged, but the script is flipping in the Leamington proposal.
The latest recommendation would see JK to Grade 6 students consolidated at the St. Louis site and Queen of Peace Catholic Elementary School would close after serving as a temporary home to a middle school for Grade 7 and 8 students — which would eventually be relocated to Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School under the proposal. The initial recommendation had St. Louis school closing with the students in the area being consolidated at the Queen of Peace site.
"What this says to me is that the process is working, that there has been openness to what has come from the community and that is reflected in these amended recommendations," says Barb Holland, Catholic school board chair.
St. John Catholic Elementary School in Windsor is still facing closure, although could stay open longer than originally planned as it would serve as a temporary middle school under the revised recommendation.
St. Bernard Catholic Elementary School in Amherstburg is also being recommended for closure.
There will still be opportunity for public feedback on the final staff reports through delegations to trustees at board meetings. Delegations concerning the Leamington proposal will be heard February 25, for the Amherstburg proposal on February 29 and for the west Windsor proposal on March 1.