The Accommodation Review Committee for Crossroads School in Devlin last night presented its recommendation to the Rainy River District School Board: keep our school open.
Big surprise there.
Actually, it wasn’t much of a surprise because the Times broke the story several weeks ago that the committee would recommend keeping Crossroads open. But really, the outcome was a no-brainer before the committee even held its first meeting.
The same held true out in Barwick, where the Accommodation Review Committee for Sturgeon Creek School earlier this year recommended the board keep it open. And a similar committee for Donald Young in Emo certainly didn’t raise any eyebrows with its recommendation to build a new school at the current site.
It’s also a safe bet the Accommodation Review Committee for Our Lady of the Way School in Stratton will recommend the Northwest Catholic District School Board keep it open when it issues its final report following a special fifth meeting there tonight—called in light of a new education director at the helm and the return of Brendan Hyatt as principal at OLW.
Surely neither board is stunned by the recommendations. After all, what community would support seeing its school close? Both boards, however, given the eloquent defences of their respective schools by the people, now are left with the unenviable task of perhaps having to overrule one or more of the ARC reports and face the ensuing wrath.
They may not have a choice. For the local public board, it’s debatable whether current enrolment can support three schools within about 30 km of each other, particularly given the new Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program in Emo—a public school that’s not a public school (i.e., parents pay tuition to send their kids there).
As for the Catholic board, enrolment at OLW has dropped below 20 students for the past couple of years. How can that sustain a full-fledged school?
The people may have spoken—and their message is no surprise. But it also shouldn’t come as a surprise that it may not matter in the end.
Do the names McIrvine School, Alberton Central, Alexander MacKenzie, Sixth Street, and F.H. Huffman ring a bell?
