Sudbury school boards don't support four-board merger
Rainbow board says there would be a cost savings to merging all four school boards together
A renewed call to amalgamate Ontario's four school boards isn't sitting very well with at least two of the boards in Greater Sudbury.
The Rainbow District School Board recently approved a motion to pitch Queen's Park on revisiting the idea of collapsing all of the boards — English and French public and English and French Catholic — into one.
This, as the Rainbow board grapples with declining enrolment and the spectre of 12 possible school closures.
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The chair of the association representing French Catholic boards in Ontario says they would never consider amalgamation. Jean Lemay said more and more students are choosing to learn in French.
"Since 1998, we had the French Catholic school boards created and now we have the opportunity to grow. We have now been able to do so across the province, in our case we have 76,000 students," Lemay said.
The chair of the Sudbury District Catholic School Board says they wouldn't consider merging with other boards, either.
Michael Bellmore said the proposal to merge boards is a political move to distract from the Rainbow board's problems.
"I think to throw it onto the stage of amalgamating into one board and that's going to be an easy quick fix for everything ... creates a false sense of hope or security for the parents and the students they're serving," Bellmore said.
"It doesn't really address the issues they need to address at this time."
Developing 'joint-use schools'
The Ministry of Education said in a statement to CBC News it will uphold the constitutional and statutory framework for education in Ontario and will not seek changes.
Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said northern Ontario boards are projected to receive $1.56 billion in 2016-17.
She noted that, since 2002-03, annual funding for northern boards has increased by $427 million — that means $6,782 more per student.
Hunter said the ministry is encouraging the development of joint-use schools between two or more boards as an effective solution to accommodation needs.