Last gasp

Parents and elected officials say ARC process made them bystanders in school closures

The second public meeting of Prince Edward County’s portion of the Hastings Prince Edward County District School Board (HPEDSB) Accommodation Review Committee (ARC), was quieter and less populated than the first. But last Thursday’s meeting still reflected the frustration parents felt over impending school closures.

Disgruntled members of the ARCs talked about the flaws in the process thus far. With few opportunities for meetings with the entire 54 members, some members felt that the paperwork not provided in advance, timelines painfully tight and a sense of inflexibility from the school board meant the process was fixed.

The public meeting was a final opportunity for community members in Prince Edward County to express their comments and concerns about the process to the school board before the matter returns to staff to prepare a final report.

HPESDB trustees will vote on a plan on June 19.

A draft plan produced by board engineer Kim Horrigan at the beginning of the process would see four schools close their doors forever over the next three years, with Pinecrest, Queen Elizabeth and Sophiasburgh schools streamed into a Prince Edward Collegiate Institute redesigned for kindergarten through grade 12, while Kente students would be sent to Wellington in a rebuilt CML Snider school.

Overall, the most common concern was timelines. A wide skepticism prevailed about the board’s ability to prepare PECI properly to take on JK-grade 8 students.

One speaker, a retired board employee whose children had attended Picton’s public schools, and whose four grandchildren are currently attending Queen Elizabeth, said she was surprised to learn they would be transitioned to a school that required millions in repairs and renovations to accommodate younger children.

“When I first read in the local paper the students at Queen E would be welcomed into PECI in September of 2017, I believed this incredibly short timeline would be revised and in fact it’d be a misprint,” she told the board. “We know this building. We know what a burden it is. We know the issues. We’re here because this building has stood the test of time. But it is an old building, it needs a lot of work. You can’t do 6.6 million dollars of work in 60 days.”

Time and again, Massasauga Rednersville was brought up as a school to be considered for closure rather than Kente. It’s an idea the board has resisted, saying that ministry policy did not allow for the inclusion of new schools to the ARC process mid-year, and also—in a written response to the question on a March 29 document—that the recent creation of a new child care facility at the County’s northernmost school would make closing it impractical.

One proposal brought forward for the board to consider was from the Sophiasburgh ARC. That school had several concerns with the proposal to close. The distance to Picton is greater than Pinecrest and Queen Elizabeth. Moving students to Picton one year later— the original plan proposed the latter school close and move in 2018 rather than 2017—would cause difficulty with integration into the school community.

But also, Sophiasburgh members overwhelmingly argued that by closing that area’s school, the community would not only suffer, it would also lose an opportunity for partnership.

Instead, Sophiasburgh ARC members have put together an alternate plan, to build a community kitchen that can be rented out by food-based businesses, offer classes and help foster a workforce for a region in which many businesses are either food production, agriculture or agritourism.

Jenna Empey, who owns a growing food business in Northport with her husband, Alex, said closing Sophiasburgh would be a major setback for emerging interest in the northeast corner of the County.

Empey, whose daughter is not yet school-age, says the Sophiasburgh ARC’s proposal to support that school’s continuation would not only save the community, it would also provide an important opportunity.

“As a parent, I can’t support the infrastructure you are suggesting for a single K-12 school. Unnecessarily long bus rides, lack of green space and an at-capacity saturation is not in the best interest of young children,” Empey told the board. “Sophiasburgh has the opportunity, drive and commitment to establish unique community programs with infrastructure that already exists in the location of our school. Our community supports this. As a mother, a member of our agricultural community and as a local business owner, I support this.”

There were specific concerns about most aspects of the process.

Dr. Charles Pascal, a world-renowned child psychologist has spent decades teaching education, most recently as faculty at the University of Toronto. Pascal moved to the County last year, and spoke at the meeting.

His concern was that not only during Thursday’s meeting, but throughout the process, not all of the trustees were present. Jennifer Cobb is the only trustee who has consistently attended meetings and followed the County’s ARC process.

“It’s the trustees that are making the decision. I know that the staff are feeling the pressure of balancing the books. But if I’m a school trustee, I’ve got to make a decision. I’ve got to be here,” Pascal said. “I find the absence of all trustees at a meeting like this the most egregious flaw in the process”

Members of the ARC also criticized the process. Tim Johnson, a community representative for the Queen Elizabeth ARC, laid bare its flaws.

“We really haven’t been able to do what our mandate was. We’ve tried, but we just don’t have enough information” said Johnson. “There is no plan. That’s what we’ve asked for. We were given a challenge as the ARC to give recommendations based on supporting documentation. We asked for supporting documentations, we were given dribs and drabs.”

For personal reasons, Mayor Robert Quaiff was not present at the meeting. Quaiff has the position that the County would advocate to keep schools open. Wellington councillor Jim Dunlop, Ameliasburgh councillor Janice Maynard and Sophiasburgh councillor Bill Roberts were all on hand, and Dunlop delivered a message from Quaiff. “We are disappointed that the municipality was not given an opportunity to provide a formal voice in the process… we expect to have the opportunity to formally provide input into the process and its outcomes. To date, this has not happened,” Dunlop read. “We have no evidence or rationale that these consolidations will, in fact, yield a positive financial position for the operations of the public education system in Prince Edward County. At no time throughout this process has the HPEDSB disclosed what the financial operating projection or benefit would be as a result of their proposal. This makes it extremely difficult for community accommodations review committee members to provide an alternative plan that demonstrates something more beneficial to the board.”

Quaiff’s letter also criticized the board’s attempt to distance itself from the Ministry of Education’s softer stance on school closures this spring, and argued the community had not been properly consulted on decisions that will have wide and lasting effects.

A final report from senior administration will be submitted to trustees during a board meeting on Monday, May 8. Following that, the public will have a chance to comment on the final report in person at the board office, but must apply to speak at least five days in advance. Anyone wishing to speak at that meeting can find the application form, along with all other documents related to the Prince Edward County ARC process, at http://www.hpedsb.on.ca/ec/directorsOffice/arc/PrinceEdwardCounty_accommodationreviews.html