They may have been smaller in numbers than their counterparts from Lively District Secondary School, but parents, students, and community members from Chelmsford Valley District Composite School did not lack in passion.
On Oct. 20, and for the second time in four nights, executive members from the Rainbow District School Board faced a group of less than pleased parents and students concerned about the fate of their school.
The board's accommodation review has pegged CVDCS as one of a number of schools to be consolidated.
Students in grade nine to 12 from CVDCS would be consolidated into Confederation Secondary School and Sudbury Secondary School in September of 2017.
The building that houses current CVDCS students would then be slated for revitalization in September 2018 to become a JK – 8 dual-track school that would take in students from Chelmsford Public School and Larchwood Public School, which would each be consolidated.
French-Immersion students from Levack Public School would also be transferred to the revitalized CVDSC.
The number of parents members of the community bordered around the 150 mark, and while the Lively District Secondary School meeting on Oct. 17 may have more than doubled the turnout, Chelmsford meeting attendees were not short on questions and frustration.
One of the main concerns surrounding the potential closure of CVDCS was the amount of time students would be spending on buses.
As it stands, the school has close to 200 students who take the bus to school, with the majority (120) riding the bus for 16–30 minutes every morning.
There are 68 students who ride for one to 15 minutes, while three ride for 31-45 minutes, two ride for 46-60 minutes, and another two who are on the bus for 61-75 minutes every morning.
Confederation Secondary School is roughly 18 km east of CVDCS, and with children riding the bus from Levack and Onaping already, this could mean more than two hours a day on the bus.
Chantelle Gorham showed a prepared video presentation to board members that ran about 20 minutes, detailing the challenges students who spend hours on a school bus are faced with, and inviting trustees and superintendents to take a ride along one day to experience it for themselves.
The concerns over bussing students to and from school reached beyond for one parent, Tina Whitmore, whose children both have high-functioning autism.
“My daughter graduated this school and the ASD program was so good for her,” said Whitmore. “My son is younger and I was hoping he would do the same but now what? How will he ride the bus for two hours? Children with autism do not travel well, our special needs children need this school.”
Todd Beauchamp was visibly upset by the decision, and brought into question the legitimacy of some of the numbers that were shown during a presentation, specifically the $17 million that would be required to maintain the school for the next five years.
“Where are these numbers coming from? I've been to enough business meetings in my life to know that some of these numbers you're showing us are fiction,” said Beauchamp. “I also want to know if this decision (to close CVDCS) has already been made and you're just humouring us.”
Rainbow Board Superintendent Bruce Bourget was once again charged with fielding questions and concerns, as he was in Lively on Oct. 17, and tried to put Beauchamp at ease, while simultaneously calming a crowd that was becoming borderline hostile as people yelled from the stands in the gymnasium.
“First and foremost, no decision has been made. There is a chance that things can change, there's a chance that they stay as is, there's a chance that parts of the plan be removed altogether,” said Bourget.
“I can see how those numbers would draw questions, and I should clarify that those are the Ministry (of Education's) numbers. They are the numbers that we're given by them so we have to kind of take them for what they are.”
The public meeting process will continue at Lasalle Secondary School on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. for the New Sudbury planning area.
For a full list of public meetings click here.
