Tammy C
04-01-2009, 04:24 PM
SAINT JOHN - The two small schools serving vulnerable communities in the north end that were under threat of closure earlier this year received a reprieve from Education Minister Kelly Lamrock Tuesday.
Peter Walsh/Telegraph-JournalLorne School and Hazen-White/St. Francis School, two community schools in the north end, will not be closed, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said Tuesday. He rejected a recommendation of the district education council. Peter Walsh/Telegraph-JournalLorne School and Hazen-White/St. Francis School, two community schools in the north end, will not be closed, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said Tuesday. He rejected a recommendation of the district education council. "After careful consideration of your recommendations for closure, I have decided to maintain the operation of Hazen-White/St. Francis and Lorne schools as educational facilities for the students of School District 8," Lamrock wrote to Rob Fowler, chairman of the district education council.
In the reasons for his decision, the minister noted that in 2007 School District 8 asked the community to support the students in both schools and pushed to have them named community schools, which added resources to the neighbourhoods where a number of families are struggling.
"I have concerns that the impact of challenging these communities to take ownership of their schools, then disappoint them was not given due weight in the decision," Lamrock wrote. "This makes the closure a different question than it would be if the DEC had never made the designation - and one that creates, in my opinion, deficiencies in procedural fairness."
"I believe in this case, that closure of these two community schools sends a disempowering message to schools, students and community partners across the province who have modelled their partnerships on the excellent progress made at Hazen-White and Lorne schools," he said.
Since both were designated community schools and received extra volunteer support, student performances have been improving, with increases in writing scores at the elementary level and math scores at the middle school, he said.
Lamrock also noted that despite the falling enrolment at the schools, which influenced the decision by the district education council, new research indicates the area surrounding the schools will undergo a period of population growth with support from the provincial and municipal governments.
District 8 superintendent Susan Tipper said Tuesday it was understood when the recommendation was made for closing the schools that the final decision rested with the minister, so plans were in place for keeping both schools open or reorganizing the north end.
"It doesn't really affect our planning," she said. "It just means that instead of going with plan A we go with plan B."
Part of the reason behind the recommendation for closure was the extra space available at Millidgeville North School, originally built as a high school to serve the area.
"There will be a lot of space at Millidgeville school," Tipper said.
The school district is looking at renting space out in the school help defray costs in order to keep the building open.
"Obviously it's a concern, with the facility being such a good facility and having three new, beautiful sports fields, we certainly want to have students be able to reap the benefits," she said.There are some plans in the works, but nothing for the beginning of the next school year, she said.
The two schools that were considered for closure have about 335 students between them, but the plan would have affected four schools all together. Princess Elizabeth School will now remain a kindergarten to Grade 8 facility, instead of gaining elementary students from Hazen-White/St. Francis and sending its middle school students to Millidgeville North.
Lorne School remains a middle school.
Peter Walsh/Telegraph-JournalLorne School and Hazen-White/St. Francis School, two community schools in the north end, will not be closed, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said Tuesday. He rejected a recommendation of the district education council. Peter Walsh/Telegraph-JournalLorne School and Hazen-White/St. Francis School, two community schools in the north end, will not be closed, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said Tuesday. He rejected a recommendation of the district education council. "After careful consideration of your recommendations for closure, I have decided to maintain the operation of Hazen-White/St. Francis and Lorne schools as educational facilities for the students of School District 8," Lamrock wrote to Rob Fowler, chairman of the district education council.
In the reasons for his decision, the minister noted that in 2007 School District 8 asked the community to support the students in both schools and pushed to have them named community schools, which added resources to the neighbourhoods where a number of families are struggling.
"I have concerns that the impact of challenging these communities to take ownership of their schools, then disappoint them was not given due weight in the decision," Lamrock wrote. "This makes the closure a different question than it would be if the DEC had never made the designation - and one that creates, in my opinion, deficiencies in procedural fairness."
"I believe in this case, that closure of these two community schools sends a disempowering message to schools, students and community partners across the province who have modelled their partnerships on the excellent progress made at Hazen-White and Lorne schools," he said.
Since both were designated community schools and received extra volunteer support, student performances have been improving, with increases in writing scores at the elementary level and math scores at the middle school, he said.
Lamrock also noted that despite the falling enrolment at the schools, which influenced the decision by the district education council, new research indicates the area surrounding the schools will undergo a period of population growth with support from the provincial and municipal governments.
District 8 superintendent Susan Tipper said Tuesday it was understood when the recommendation was made for closing the schools that the final decision rested with the minister, so plans were in place for keeping both schools open or reorganizing the north end.
"It doesn't really affect our planning," she said. "It just means that instead of going with plan A we go with plan B."
Part of the reason behind the recommendation for closure was the extra space available at Millidgeville North School, originally built as a high school to serve the area.
"There will be a lot of space at Millidgeville school," Tipper said.
The school district is looking at renting space out in the school help defray costs in order to keep the building open.
"Obviously it's a concern, with the facility being such a good facility and having three new, beautiful sports fields, we certainly want to have students be able to reap the benefits," she said.There are some plans in the works, but nothing for the beginning of the next school year, she said.
The two schools that were considered for closure have about 335 students between them, but the plan would have affected four schools all together. Princess Elizabeth School will now remain a kindergarten to Grade 8 facility, instead of gaining elementary students from Hazen-White/St. Francis and sending its middle school students to Millidgeville North.
Lorne School remains a middle school.