Cape Breton-Victoria school board targets 19 schools for closure

The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board is looking at closing as many as 19 schools over the next few years.

The board formally launched the review process on Monday night.

There are 19 elementary and middle schools in Sydney, Westmount, New Waterford, North Sydney and Glace Bay included in the review. A full list is available on the board's website.

In most cases, students in affected schools would be bused to other schools in the area. Several existing schools would be renovated to accommodate additional students. A couple of possible options call for new schools to replace several aging ones.

Enrolment in schools across the region has plummeted in the past 20 years — from 24,567 students in 1995-1996 to a projected enrolment of 12,689 when schools reopen next week.

A lot of unused space

Officials say many schools have a lot of unused space, and that's costing the board more than $1.5 million each year, that could be better spent on students.

By next year, the board says 42 of 50 schools will have unused space of at least 40 per cent.

"The need to review schools is very simple," said board chair Lorne Green.

"If we don't do it, we're going to affect the classroom and ultimately affect our students. Our students won't be getting the programs and services they need, to graduate, to go on to higher education, to go on to trades, That's what will happen if we don't do this review."

In the past four years, the board has also cut $16.8 million from its budget and eliminated 287 staff positions.

'Heartbeat of the community'

About 50 people attended a special school board meeting in Sydney on Monday night where the review was announced.

George D. Lewis School in Louisbourg is one of the schools being reviewed.

Resident Brett Hanham hopes it will survive. 

"The school is the heartbeat of the community for us in Louisbourg," said Hanham. "George D. Lewis School is just such an important part of our community that even to hear the chance that it may be gone is just devastating."

Teresa Murphy, who has two children at East Bay Elementary School, says her kids they face an hour-long bus ride twice a day if the school closes.

Final decision by next spring

"East Bay has been up for review, I think, 10 times," said Murphy. "I would love if it stayed open forever because I love the school but things are changing, we just have to figure out the best way to deal with it."

Community members and parents still have an opportunity for express their concerns.

School options committees will be set up this fall to study the potential closures and look for any alternatives.

The school board will make a final decision on closures by next spring.

Any closures would take place by 2020.