Parkdale parents try to prevent school closure

People in the inner-city neighbourhood of Parkdale got the opportunity Wednesday night to try to convince school board officials not to close their school.

Parkdale School has 187 students in classes from Kindergarten to Grade nine, less than half the 500 students it's designed for. It's one of five inner-city schools the Edmonton Public School Board has suggested could be closed.

Parents like Shannon Markham believe enrolment shouldn't be the only issue considered.

"My husband works out of town. I have no vehicle to transport my child here," she said. "They don't want to provide a school bus for the other schools."

There are special-needs students at the school as well, which leads some to worry about their future.

"There's a lot of kids in Parkdale that need the one on one," said Jeanne Armstrong, who has two children at the school. "They're not going to get that one on one with a classroom of 35 to 40 kids."

Armstrong said the nearest local schools don't have the room for all the students at Parkdale, which means students could face long bus rides.

"I'm mad. I'm not happy that they're shutting down all these schools and they're rebuilding new schools on the outskirts of town. What are they going to do, ship all our kids out there?"

The school board is expected to make a final decision on the future of Parkdale school in April.