A.B. Ellis students to relocate to Espanola High

If Rainbow District School Board trustees have their way, A.B. Ellis Public School students will be relocated to Espanola High School as of September 2014.

The board voted in favour of going forward with the idea at their July 2 meeting, as long as the Ministry of Education provides funds for renovations to the high school to make it suitable for all of the students.

A.B. Ellis and Espanola High would continue to be separate schools, although they'd share the same building.

It is able to go ahead with the plans, given that the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) school Ecole secondaire catholique Franco-Ouest, which currently leases space within Espanola High, has stated its intention to vacate the school.

A.B. Ellis would then be declared surplus, and offered to the other school boards in the area — CSCNO and the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board — for their possible use.

The Rainbow board, CSCNO and the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board are collaborating to determine how best to deliver education in English and French in Espanola.

Each board is hosting a public information session about the situation at 7 p.m. Sept. 19. The Rainbow board's meeting will take place at Espanola High School. The locations of the other boards' meetings have not yet been announced.

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