5 rural public schools at less than 60 per cent capacity could be at risk of closing

Officials in rural southwestern Ontario say they are worried about the future of their schools after the province's education minister said some high-vacancy schools in the district are at risk of shutting down.

It's been nearly five months since Minister Paul Calandra announced the ministry would temporarily take control of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), along with other Ontario boards, after allegations of financial mismanagement.

This week, Calandra told CBC's Metro Morning that in order to reduce financial strain at government-supervised boards, he must "look at all options," including closing or merging schools.

"All options have to be on the table, and that might include some of the underutilized schools," Calandra said.

There are nine schools in the TVDSB that are less than 60 per cent full. Five of those schools are in rural areas, including Middlesex and Elgin counties.

LISTEN: Education Minister Paul Calandra on the future of supervised boards

"I hear these recent discussions about closing schools, and I know that North Middlesex [District High School] was on the chopping block. To me, that's deeply troubling," said North Middlesex Ward 1 Coun. Sara Nirta, whose ward includes that school.

"The idea that we are even thinking about closing the school sends a very harmful message that rural communities don't matter," she said.

The Ontario government has had a moratorium on school closures since 2017, meaning that schools cannot actually shut down, but a ministry spokesperson said it is still a topic of discussion.

"Every option must be considered to restore stability and protect classroom learning. Our focus is on ensuring resources are directed back into classrooms so teachers have the support they need and students have the best chance to succeed," said Calandra's press secretary Emma Testani.

However, Nirta said the idea that closing the school in her ward will help the TVDSB's financial situation is a misconception.

"We're going to have an increase in busing all these students – they have to go somewhere. Those other schools will eventually be at capacity, and then we're going to have to spend more money on making bigger schools and putting kids in portables, and kids don't belong in portables," she said.

North Middlesex District High School had a 31 per cent utilization rate, the lowest in the district, according to the TVDSB's 2024-2025 accommodation plan.

It, alongside two public schools in the region, were listed as a suggested school to merge in the Pricewaterhouse Coopers audit of the TVDSB.

"It is an alarming number, isn't it?" North Middlesex Mayor Brian Ropp said, adding that the low percentage can be partially attributed to some parents choosing to send their kids to schools out of the catchment.

He and other local officials recently met with the ministry to plead their case to keep the schools operational.

"We have been working and trying to spread our message about the growth happening in North Middlesex. In the long-term picture, I'm more concerned about overcrowding in a couple of our schools than I am about them being too low at this point," Ropp said.

It's a similar concern in Southwest Middlesex, according to Coun. Joel Haggith, whose ward 2 contains Glencoe District High School. It was only 40 per cent full last school year.

"Yes, we do have lower enrolment rates, but they'll change and come up," Haggith said.

"Instead of looking straight ahead, you've got to have your eyes open and look wide … If we need to replace the school 10 years from now if the population grows, what's it going to cost the taxpayers then?" he added.

In addition to financial consequences, rural community officials say there are also personal challenges families face when schools shut down, including longer commutes, disrupted routines and the loss of community.

London parent Scott MacLean said those were all true when Lorne Avenue Public School shut down in 2016, forcing his two children to uproot.

"It took some change and it took some work for the kids, in particular," he said, adding that they had to start taking the bus instead of walking to school."

Close to a decade later, MacLean said he's seen many of his concerns about the school's closure and the financial strains it would create come to fruition.

"Now we look at the board and the financial trouble they're in today, and part of those issues come about as a result of the increased costs of busing, the losses of schools, and the increased costs of building that they've had to put into these properties," he said.

With conversations about school closures back in the spotlight, MacLean said he wants officials to learn from the past and look for new solutions.

"I think 'underutilized schools' is a poor term. Underutilized is the wrong way to look at it. We have to look at schools from a broader perspective," he said. "Boards really have to partner more with municipalities and look at [schools] as a community centre. That's where this conversation really needs to move."