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Kincardine-Port Elgin Accommodation Review decision set for Nov. 1
By Liz Dadson

Education

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The pressure is on the parents of students affected by the proposed changes in the Kincardine-Port Elgin Accommodation Review, to make their voices heard as the Bluewater District School Board prepares to make a decision at the meeting tomorrow (Nov. 1).

In essence, the board will decide if Elgin Market Public School in Kincardine, remains open or closes in 2012, and whether a new high school is in Kincardine's future.

Prompted by possible overcrowding at Elgin Market once full-day Kindergarten were implemented, the board put in place an Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) last fall to determine a course of action.

After extensive public involvement and meetings, the ARC came up with two options, as presented in June:

Three-School Option:

  • Elgin Market, Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, French Immersion only, 200 students
  • Kincardine Township-Tiverton Public School (KTTPS), Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3, 258 students
  • Huron Heights Public School, Kincardine, Grades 4-8, 321 students

Two-School Option:

  • Close Elgin Market
  • KTTPS, Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3, dual track (French Immersion and English), 386 students
  • Huron Heights, Grades 4-8, dual track, 393 students

The three-school option would see an operating deficit of $62,317, while the two-school would see an operating surplus of $25,321.

Parents should be aware that funding has not been confirmed for four or five new classrooms at KTTPS should a two-school option be considered.

Also, a new Kincardine high school was officially requested at the spring ARC meetings, but that request has since disappeared from the report given to the trustees Oct. 4, which means any discussion of a new high school would have to wait for at least another five years.

Chesley managed to keep its high school by being vocal and showing local support, overflowing the board room during the meeting, and Kincardine can do the same.

Oct. 18, the school board made a decision on the Hanover-Chesley ARC, agreeing to close Dawnview Public, Kinghurst Community and John Diefenbaker Secondary schools.

 

Jan Johnstone, school board trustee for Kincardine and Huron-Kinloss

Chesley District High School will be converted to a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 school with students from the existing Chesley high school and elementary students from Kinghurst.

Hanover Heights to remain a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 school, and a new Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 district school to be constructed - location to be determined.

For further information, check the board website at www.bdsb.on.ca

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