Near North District School Board trustees vote to close Widdifield

The Near North District School Board is reducing their number of high schools in North Bay from 3 to 2.

In a 5-3 vote trustees approved a recommendation to keep West Ferris Secondary School and Chippewa Secondary open but close Widdifield.

They also rejected the idea of consolidating three schools into one new build.

Board chair David Thompson says enrolment is decreasing and closing schools has become a common occurrence for the board.

“In 12 years I’ve voted to close 12 schools. None of us want to close a school. At the end of the day you look at the numbers and you have to make a decision,” he says.

He says they’re not cancelling programs at Widdifield and there’s no date at this point when the closure will take effect.

West Ferris and Chippewa will be rebranded, provincial funding is needed and a decision on how all this will take shape will be provided in a report by the Director of Education.

“The thinking outside the box is going to describe this process. From the feedback I’ve been getting from some teachers there very excited about moving forward. And I think it’s going to change the dynamics of education in North Bay,” Thompson says.

He also says the decision shouldn’t surprise people, “We’re the end result of the community. If there’s no youth in the community there’s no purpose for schools. We don’t attract people and it’s the city that attracts them through jobs. The end result comes from the city.”

Thompson says they’ll meet with the mayor and council on what to do about the future, saying one of the issues is whether they’ll have to go down this road again.

He describes the relationship between the board and the city as fractured and was asked what’s the biggest problem with the city.

“Respect and understanding our business. They don’t understand the business of education and students,” he said.