Chignecto-Central Regional School Board upholds closure decision for three schools
The elected members of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board (CCRSB), this evening, upheld previous closure decisions for three schools: Wentworth Consolidated Elementary, Maitland District Elementary and River John Consolidated School.
The original decision to close the three schools was made as part of a School Review Process which began in September 2012. In the spring of 2013 elected members voted to close the three schools in June 2015 to allow committees time to develop Hub Model proposals. Those proposals were submitted to CCRSB on March 31, 2015.
"I firmly believe that our staff and the members of this elected board have done their best throughout this very long process to ensure the best outcome for all students," said Trudy Thompson, CCRSB Chair. "All school boards in Nova Scotia have tough decisions ahead. We can choose to fund programs and retain staff to support our students, or we can choose to fund underutilized buildings. We can no longer afford to do both."
The decision to close all three schools now means that the elected Board must revisit the 2015-2016 budget to re-invest the funds that will be recovered with the closures. A final budget is expected to be delivered before the end of June.
All three schools will now close at the end of the school year with students attending previously identified schools in September.
The Chignecto-Central Regional School Board is comprised of 17 board members and 2,700 staff all striving to develop independent, lifelong learners in a student-centered environment, with high expectations for all. CCRSB serves over 20,000 students from Primary to Grade 12, throughout the counties of East Hants, Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou.
buottmathesond@ccrsb.ca