Three Queens County schools may be reviewed for closure

The region (Lunenburg and Queens counties) has lost 18 per cent of its enrolment in the past decade. The current enrolment is projected to decline by 25 per cent over the next 10 years.

South Shore Regional School Board members accepted a School Utilization Report from former school board superintendent and consultant, Jim Gunn Feb. 27.

Up for “review,” if the school board agrees at its stated March 26 meeting date, are Mill Village Consolidated and Milton Centennial schools and even Greenfield Elementary School. A new school for the latter area is under construction, led by a group of volunteers that was lauded for saving the community’s school and the provincial government hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Vice-principal, Marsha Freeman said, “We sort of expected it.” She explained with the school’s recent drastic drop in enrolment, the consultant had no choice but to include the facility.

She added, however, the school’s population, because it is small, drastically fluctuates at times. For example, she said the population would rise quickly from about 25 students to 33 or 34 children next year. “It always recovers.

“They have to review us because it’s only protocol. My biggest worry is people will panic. This community is strong and working proactively with the facility and in the end I think they’ll say this school is viable and we’ll keep it open.”

However, she said, “There’s no doubt in my mind the school would have been closed if the new one wasn’t being built.”

She also expects two, and possibly three new families with children are planning to move to the area and are not included in the above-mentioned numbers.

In addition, she said isolation plays a large role in board decisions and the community component of the upcoming school with its library and public community computer access service will also help students, older students attending junior and senior high school and adults as well.

She reminded parents and other residents that, “The review process is a good thing. It’s an opportunity to celebrate your strengths and work on your weaknesses.”

The review also recommends moving Dr. John C. Wickwire Grade 6 students to South Queens Junior High School if the board receives provincial government funding needed to undertake renovations at the latter school and moving Grade 9 junior high school students to Liverpool Regional High School.

In a past study, it was believed the high school would need four new classrooms. Gunn no longer thinks this is necessary.

Gunn recommended the school closures, if approved after a coming year long study and community input process, which also needs to be approved by the school board, should be done only after board members are assured the students can be accommodated and such negative aspects of student life as long bus rides are mitigated as much as possible.

For example, board Superintendent, Nancy Pynch-Worthylake said many students would be bussed directly to Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy under these hypothetical circumstances. Many now stop at one or more schools.

Mill Village school Parent Support Group Chair, Donna Abbott wasn’t surprised by the report, “because we’ve gone through the process so many times before.”

The results of Gunn’s report results are essentially, for Queens County, unchanged from a study completed in 2001.

Abbott said the decision is up to the board. When made, she said she expects community residents will express their opinions, many of which will be emotional as in the past.

‘We are a pretty tight knit community. I think it is just as emotional now as at any time because we have the same concerns.”

They include long bussing times, and the support the school receives from the community in order to provide a good educational experience for students in the Grade Primary to Grade 6 school.

The Mill Village enrolment has decreased from 89 to 46 since 2000, a decrease of 48 per cent.

Abbott said, “Right now, it’s a wait and see game because have to wait until what the school board does.”

Liz Brown, chair of Milton Centennial’s School Advisory Committee, also said the review results were expected.

However, she said it would be a sad day for upcoming students if the board closes the school.

“Because it’s such a small school, and the children are little, their needs are easy to identify and quickly deal with when they enter the system. It is a unique situation with a tiny school. You get a little more time being tiny and separate from the big kids. There’s something special about that.”

She added, “I know what the numbers are and it’s difficult to say in 10 years we’ll be able to fill the school but I would like to see it remain open as long as possible.”

She added Principal Pat Morash, Vice-Principal Roseanne Williams and the staff basically know the name and “story” of every child in the school. “They have an unbelievable amount on their plate and just steam through it.”

Morash, who was also praised by Abbott, is the principal of both Mill Village and Milton.

She repeated the small school sentiments of the parent representatives. “There are so many advantages for having them separated from the older kids for a couple of years.”

However, she said, “Everybody knew at some point this would be the intention (study results). The only surprise is it could be as early as 2009 instead of 2011. It’s pretty dramatic. That’s the hard part for all of us to swallow.”

She added the next year would be hard.

“It’s always tough. I’ve been involved in some school closures in the past. It’s pretty heart wrenching because you know how difficult it will be on the community and parents. It’s very draining.”

Superintendent Pynch-Worthylake agreed. “I would rather not see any school go under review.”

However, she said, “This is a provincial situation (declining rural enrolment). The important part to emphasize is it isn’t all about money; it’s about declining numbers. How do you provide programming at a certain point? Right now, we know we’re doing fine. It’s the future everyone is concerned about. The system is shrinking and it’s pretty hard at some point to maintain what we’ve been doing.”

As only one example, she said offering all students access to equal programming across the region is a primary consideration, “but I don’t know what will happen throughout the process as well, and I’m not a cynical person. I believe we’re all in this for the students.”

North Queens schools, despite declining enrolment figures, are considered too isolated to consider for review at this time.