English school district looking to get rid of 18 vacant schools
CBC News | Posted: February 9, 2015 5:04 PM | Last Updated: February 9, 2015
The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is looking to save more than $1 million by offloading 18 empty schools around the province.
While some of the buildings have only recently closed, there are some that have been shut for more than a decade.
The cost of maintaining the buildings is currently estimate at just over $1 million, according to documents from the school board.
School board CEO Darrin Pike says it's a waste of taxpayers' money to keep sinking funds into the vacant schools — but added the the board trying to fix the problem.
"If we can save government money, that obviously frees up money for government to spend in any of the areas they want to — preferably education on our end," he said.
"We need to be fiscally aware and stewards of the money, taxpayers' money — and this is money we don't need to be spending."
Not just money
In some communities, there are greater concerns than just what it costs to keep maintaining the buildings.
Bayview Regional Collegiate in St. Lunaire-Griquet is one of the sites that the board is paying to maintain.
Town Mayor Dale Colbourne doesn't think the school has to be left abandoned.
"One man talked about putting a seniors complex there," Colbourne told CBC News.
"[He] never heard a thing back from the school board."
Last year, that single vacant school alone cost the school board about $72,000.
The board hopes to see the list of currently vacant schools under their ownership down from 18 to 10 by June 2015.