TRURO - Cathrine Yuill is cautiously optimistic that a meeting with the local school board on Monday will give her the news she desperately wants to hear.
Yuill, the mother of a daughter in Grade 5 at Maitland District Elementary School, attended a special meeting with the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board (CCRSB) on Thursday night. About 80 people gathered from Maitland and Bass River elementary schools as well as from Wentworth and River John Consolidated schools and East Pictou Middle School to present feedback on CCRSB’s impact assessment reports on each of those schools.
The schools are being considered for further assessment, which could possibly lead to closure.
“I’m hopeful and realistic. I felt the board was listening … I think nobody in that meeting, including school board members, wants to see schools close,” said Yuill, who is the chairwoman of Maitland elementary’s school advisory council and school review committee.
On Monday, another meeting will take place at Cobequid Educational Centre’s cafeteria at 7 p.m. School board officials will discuss the school’s responses to the board-based impact assessment reports. The assessments look at issues such as enrolment and building viability and usage, to name a few.
Debbie Buott Matheson, CCRSB’s communication spokeswoman, told the Truro Daily News the feedback from the schools will be taken into consideration before any decisions are made about potentially furthering school reviews.
“They gave the board a lot to think about. It can see both sides,” said Buott Matheson, adding if schools are chosen to continue with the review process it doesn’t necessarily mean closure and Monday’s meeting will not result in definite decisions about their future.
“It would be whether or not to move forward with public hearings on those schools.”
Buott Matheson said if a school will continue to be reviewed, public hearings would be held mid to late February at the earliest. Potential hearings would be held at the specific school(s) in question.
