HEATHER BOA Bullet News SEAFORTH – Any decision on the future of rural schools in northwest Huron County should be made in the best interest of the children, says a parent from Holmesville Public School.
“At the beginning of the accommodation review, everyone wanted a solution in the best interest of the children. I hope you will in the end,” Annerieke Van Beets told trustees at their regular board meeting in Seaforth tonight. She has two children in the school and two children who are pre-school age.
The Avon Maitland District School Board is scheduled to make a decision June 5, after review of a 336-page staff report, delegations, round table discussions among trustees and review of minutes from six months of meetings of the Holmesville-Colborne Accommodation Review Committee.
Options for consideration include: staff option to close Colborne Central PS and Holmesville PS effective June 30, 2013, with students from Holmesville PS sent to a combination of Goderich Public School, Goderich DCI Elementary School, and Clinton Public School based on the high school boundaries, and Colborne Central PS students sent to Goderich PS and Brookside Public School based on boundaries that staff will determine; and ARC options to continue to operate Colborne Central PS and Holmesville PS as is, for the short-term and build a new, centrally located school in the countryside within five years to accommodate the population from these two schools plus Brookside PS or close Colborne Central PS and send all of its students to Holmesville Public School amalgamating existing boundaries for both schools
Van Beets said the rural school located between the communities of Goderich and Clinton has a good reputation that should be preserved.
“I hope in the coming weeks when decisions need to be made, a rural option will be given consideration,” she said, adding it makes sense to keep open Holmesville PS, which has been maintained over the years, rather than face the uncertainty in costs for a new build or renovations.
On May 1, the board will schedule a special meeting at Holmesville PS to hear delegations from the public.
