Work continues for ARC process involving six North Bay schools

Local students and parents are being encouraged to lobby Near North Board trustees as an Accommodations Review Committee looks at the future of six North Bay schools.

Executive with the Ontario Alliance Against School Closures Felicia Fahey says the board will be making the ultimate decision on what happens to these schools in June.

“Regardless of what recommendation comes forward from the ARC, the trustees have the power to put forward whatever they want, so lobbying those trustees needs to happen. The students need to become involved and the parents need to speak up,” she says.

Fahey added there’s still hope.

“So long as they’re coming out, getting engaged and active they have a chance to save their high schools and elementary schools,” she says.

Fahey presented at Tuesday night’s second public meeting in the ARC process.

Three city high schools (Chippewa, West Ferris and Widdifield) along with three public schools (E.T. Carmichael, E.W. Norman and W.J. Fricker) are under the microscope.

Fahey says with over 600 schools across Ontario facing closure this year, local residents aren’t alone.

She also says it’s time to look at other options.

“Start looking at cost-saving measures, so we don’t have to lose our schools. They’re all talking about under utilization of space, there’s no reason that those boards can’t start sharing buildings,” she added.

As for the 30-member Accommodations Review Committee, their work continues with a meeting tonight.

Facilitator Paul Addie says they’ll be analysing proposals that have come forward on reducing three high schools to two.

“Two of the seven are identical, one of the seven is outside the scope of the ARC Committee because it names schools that are not in the ARC and part of the board motion,” he says.

He also says two others call for enhanced First Nations cultural programming in which ever recommendation moves forward.

The results of the meeting will be made public on the board’s website.

Overall, he says the board is welcoming community input throughout the process.

“Ultimately the board is consulting it’s community, through the ARC process, asking them for their best thinking on, if we need to consolidate schools, what would it look like,” he adds.

Addie says the ARC recommendation could be announced as early as the May 8th public meeting.

That meeting will be taking place at Chippewa Secondary School.