PSB report calls for big changes to schools in Summerside area — including closing Parkside

A new study from P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is calling for one of Canada's oldest schools to be shut down, and for a new one to be built, possibly along Summerside's new East-West Corridor.

The 27-page report said Parkside Elementary — a Summerside school that is over 150 years old — has "significant" ongoing challenges in addressing air quality, heating and maintenance. 

The Green Street building's heritage status would create challenges in trying to upgrade the school, the report said while  recommending its closure. 

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher recently toured the large red brick building and said he saw a wide range of physical issues, from buckets in windowsills catching leaking water to duct tape holding down door frames.

Large HVAC machines in classrooms had to be turned off during the day because they were so loud teachers couldn't speak to students, Kutcher said. 

"I saw — in my opinion — a school that is physically, structurally probably not fit for teaching," he said. 

New school on the East-West Corridor? 

The report recommends that the PSB request the province build a new school in Summerside to accommodate students in grades 5-7.

That option would remove Grade 5-6 students from Athena Consolidated, Elm Street Elementary, Greenfield Elementary and Parkside, as well as Grade 7 students from Summerside Intermediate, and place them in the new school. Summerside Intermediate would then add Grade 8 and 9 English students who are currently zoned for Athena. 

In order to close Parkside, the report recommends English students in kindergarten to Grade 4 be rezoned to Athena, while French immersion students in the same grade levels would be rezoned to Elm Street.

Miscouche Consolidated would keep its current cohort of students, except for those in grades 5-7 who are residents of Slemon Park. Those students would go to the new school until Grade 7, then move on to Summerside Intermediate. 

The report notes that a new artery road being built through the Summerside, called the East-West Corridor, would be an appropriate location for new school construction. Officials expect more than 2,000 homes to eventually fill the area as 3,000 acres of land become available for development. 

"I'm glad there's options on the table," Kutcher said. 

"I'm really glad that it's being looked at and that the discussion is happening because if you look at… a city or any kind of community, you can really measure how well it's doing by how well young people are doing and kids are doing."

Kutcher said he wouldn't go so far as to say he supports the recommendations made in the report before he has the opportunity to sit down and ask questions about them. 

But he agreed the East-West Corridor would be a great spot for a school. 

Public consultation will continue until June 2, with school board trustees having the final say on what happens. The PSB's board of trustees is holding a public information meeting at Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside on May 8 at 7 p.m. 

MLAs hear concerns in the legislature 

The issue was discussed in the provincial legislature on Friday. 

"Parkside Elementary has been a cornerstone of its community for generations. Families are now facing the possibility of its closure without being properly consulted or informed," said Liberal Opposition Leader Hal Perry.

Perry asked Premier Rob Lantz whether he could guarantee that no decision about closing Parkside or any other school would be made without full and transparent consultation with the entire school community. 

"Parkside is a particular interest because it happens to be one of the oldest schools in the country," Lantz said. 

"Of course, no decisions will be made without full consultation with the school community," he said, adding that he looks forward to working on this file with the minister of education to invest in Island schools and ensure students have the best possible facilities in which to be educated.