Edmonton School Board Must Decide On School Closures

It is never easy to make a decision to close schools. Unfortunately Edmonton’s public school board is in a position to where they must do just that. Five schools in the district, Capilano, Fulton Place, Parkdale, Eastwood and McCauley may have to be shut down due to age and lack of enrolment. Another school, Spruce Avenue, might have to be changed from its kindergarten to 9th grade status to that of a regional junior high school.

The make-up of some neighbourhoods has changed over the years. Some of Edmonton’s older areas have few children, but rather are populated with retirees and/or homeowners that have lived in the same home for decades. Most of the younger families have elected to live in the suburbs, which is where the schools are needed.

Examples of neighbourhoods that have aged are Rio Terrace, Westridge, Windsor Park and Grandview. In the 1960s and 1970s these areas averaged two children per home. Today, most young families cannot afford property in these neighbourhoods.

The school board must figure out the best way to amalgamate schools with low enrolment that causes the least amount of upheaval in the affected communities. That frees funding to create new schools in younger neighbourhoods where they are most needed. Though the Edmonton school board has nothing to do with the city planning that created these new suburbs, no doubt they will take most of the heat, no matter what the outcome.

Perhaps the ultimate solution will be to amalgamate schools with day cares, family support centres, recreation outlets and senior drop in centres. This would save thousands of dollars in the long run. Besides, think how much one generation can learn from another. Think of it as a new kind of “school.”

By: Peter The Man

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