St. Agatha school could be reviewed for closure by Catholic school board yet again

Waterloo Catholic District School Board trustees are once again considering closing its elementary school in St. Agatha, just two years after agreeing not to shutter the small rural school.

The parents are "devastated, very troubled and feel betrayed by this unexpected, very surprising and very undemocratic decision," parent council member Connie Snofl said in notes ahead of Monday's meeting, which were published as part of the agenda package.

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In 2014, the school board directed staff to apply to the province for funding to build a new school.

In an interview Monday, Snofl said staff did not do that. Instead, they asked for funding to make repairs to the elementary school. The Ministry of Education denied funding upgrades to the school, which have been pegged at $2 million.

Snofl said that news came as a shock.

"We're here thinking that they're looking for land," she said. "How can this even be possible?"

'I just want it to stay open'

Erin Snider and her family moved to the area two years ago during the last accommodation review. She said they were in limbo for several months waiting to see where her children would go to school.

Now, two years later, she said she feels like she's going through it all over again.

"I just want it to stay open. It's going to be a pain if they have to switch [schools]. They've made friends," she said, adding those friends may end up going to other schools if St. Agatha is closed.

"They just made all these great friends and now they're going to be all separated."

Space in nearby schools

The school sent home a letter with students on June 14 informing parents of the board's meeting Monday where they would be discussing a possible closure review.

The letter from Loretta Notten, the director of education, said school board staff were informed last November that the Ministry of Education would not fund any repairs, renovations or an addition to the school "while capacity exists in other nearby Catholic elementary schools."

Both Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener and St. Clement Catholic Elementary School have space for the students from St. Agatha.

Notten also said a "lack of residential development growth in Wilmot Township" means there will not be any provincial funding to build a new school in St. Agatha in the foreseeable future.

Reviewing the review

Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris has written to the province to raise concerns he has heard from local residents and asked the minister responsible to "review the circumstances surrounding the WCDSB call for renewal of a school closure review.'"

He also wanted to know where a request for funding to build a new school stood and has asked the ministry for an update.

"As one parent told me: 'It's a slap in the face to all stakeholders involved. We followed the guidelines, followed the process and a decision was made … the board should honour that decision,'" Harris wrote.

'Maybe think about it'

The board will vote Monday whether or not to authorize a closure review process, which would take place during the 2016-17 school year. It is not a vote on whether it is necessary to close the school.

Snofl said she hopes the trustees will delay making any kind of decision.

"Maybe think about it, not just decide [Monday]," Snofl said, adding she has spoken about this issue to the board on three separate occasions and she thought her daughter, who is currently in Grade 6, would have no problems graduating from the school.

"It's an older school," she said. "That was the whole point of why they were supposed to ask for funds for a new school, not to fix the old school."