Students, teachers rally to save 'unique' City School in Hamilton, once pitched as a model to other cities

For 52-year-old student Heather Kennedy, getting an education through Mohawk College's City School program was providing hope she'd be able to bring in more money to help her family. 

Kennedy was hoping to become an administrator after taking free courses through the program. With its upcoming closure, announced alongside other cuts at the college, she's worried she won't be able to achieve that goal.

"I think it's a shame," said Kennedy. 

City School is a free service that offers post-secondary and employment-pathway courses to the adults in the community and has been run by Mohawk College in Hamilton. 

In December, as part of cuts due to new limits on international students and a lack of provincial funding, the college announced City School would be winding down its operations and stop offering courses as of March 31. Drop-in locations closed on Feb. 10.

Kennedy was among a group of people that rallied on Feb. 19 outside of Mohawk to protest cuts to colleges and to advocate for City School.

She said she found out about the program in 2024 while looking at flyers at a food bank. She enrolled and started a course called College 101. She's currently taking two courses in hopes of working for a non-profit.

Kennedy said she applied for the courses because she wants to "improve [her] life" and learn new things. She added the courses have helped her a lot.

"I'm trying to get a leg up so I can earn more money and help my family. It's helped me learn a lot of skills. So I'm happy about that," she said.

Kennedy works as a caretaker, but said at a time when prices keep going up and life is getting "harder and harder," she wants to contribute more to her family's finances.

Petition asks college to 'reconsider' closure

Kennedy is not alone in her disappointment with the closure.

Partners of the program started a petition, which has garnered more than 300 signatures from community members and 30 community partners. 

Erin Carr, executive director of the Solidarity Place Worker Education Centre, one of the non-profit organizations that partnered with City School, said he started the petition in late January after conversations with the union.

"City School was on the ground, popular, free and accessible education, which is something in our province we're sorely lacking," he said.

There were 415 students enrolled in City School last year, according to Sarah Harvie, vice-president for OPSEU Local 241, which represents support staff at Mohawk College.

According to a spokesperson from Mohawk College, there were 13 staff employed with City School and 8 to 10 part-time instructors per semester. Harvie said only three or four remain, likely due to their connection to other programs at the college.

More than a dozen Mohawk programs were suspended in December and by February, 255 full-time jobs were lost.

One of those impacted was Sarah Bradshaw, a training specialist at Mohawk College and part-time instructor at City School. She said the program is different from other community education programs "because it acts as the link between the community and the college."

City School offered college courses in spaces like the Eva Rothwell Centre, Hamilton Public Library and Mission Services.

It started with a $50,000 investment almost 10 years ago, and although Mohawk College cites a $1 million budget need, City School could operate "comfortably" with $300,000, she said. 

Harvie said with the petition, the community is asking for the program not to be shut down completely.

"We're asking the college to reconsider, and we're asking for critical help from the province so we aren't slamming the door shut to students who are changing their lives with the support of programs like City School," she said.

In an email to CBC Hamilton, Mohawk College spokesperson Sean Coffey said the college found the City School model was "not sustainable," while acknowledging "the program was able to help many people in the community since it began operation in 2015."

City School was a place for 'transformation': instructor 

Jess Robertson, an instructor with the program, said the service is a place for "transformation."

"The thought of City School closing is a pain like no other because I know there are so many more individuals who could benefit from this program, from the support, from the opportunity to discover their potential," she said.

Robertson taught 13 courses at City School and said the connection made in the classroom was what set it apart from others.

"There is laughter, excitement and a shared commitment to growth," she said.

Carr also teaches at City School, he said the service means a lot to students.

"[City School offers] a pathway to post-secondary education, there's upskilling, future employability, but it's also building social relationships. Our students, they are a close-knit community," he said.

His students come from all different walks of life, he said.

"[Some] are in shelters right now, folks that have been dealt a really tough hand in life, that at least hope to dig out of that hole. That was something that City School provided," he said.

The success of City School also spanned beyond Hamilton, Harvie said.

The program partnered with colleges in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Halifax to share City School's model and how it could be replicated elsewhere.

"It was a fantastic partnership that highlighted the unique qualities of City School as a made-in-Hamilton solution to meet the training and education needs of our community," she added.