Huffman likely to close its doors

The Accommodation Review Committee regarding the future of F.H. Huffman School on Tuesday unanimously recommended building a consolidated school of F.H. Huffman and Robert Moore.
This recommendation now will be presented to the Rainy River District School Board, which must wait a minimum of 60 days before holding a meeting for trustees to vote on it.

In coming to the decision, Heather Campbell, the board’s superintendent of education, said the committee looked at the School Valuation Framework, which encompasses the value to the student, value to the system, value to the community, and value to the local economy.
It also took into consideration feedback from the public, as well as the information provided about the building of a new Robert Moore School.
The provincial government’s offer to provide planning approval for a total capitalized value of $9.8 million to address facility conditions at the school was announced back in December.
The board has since been moving ahead with the next steps of a rebuild at Robert Moore.
Both Huffman and Robert Moore were declared prohibitive to repair (meaning the cost of repair exceeds the cost of building new).
The other alternatives considered by the Accommodation Review Committee included keeping Huffman open with minor repairs being completed with School Renewal funding, rebuilding the school, and closing it.
By recommending consolidation, rather than outright closure, it’s expected that students will continue to attend Huffman until the new Robert Moore School is ready.
Agendas, minutes, the framework, and other documents are available on the board’s website at www.rrdsb.com