The Halifax Regional School Board will ask the provincial government to build a new school in the north end of Halifax. It would consolidate students from Highland Park Junior High and Grades 7-9 at Oxford School.
It was one of five recommendations in the final report for the Citadel High family school review process that the board approved Wednesday night.
More than 100 people attended a special meeting in Dartmouth where board members debated and discussed the five key recommendations presented by the School Options Committee (SOC).
Building the replacement school would mean the closure of Highland Park and converting Oxford School into a primary to Grade 6 school.
The SOC also recommended major renovations at St. Joseph’s-Alexander McKay school and minor renovations at Joseph Howe and St. Stephen’s Elementary schools. A number of board members expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of peninsula schools and emphasized the need for more capital spending.
READ MORE: Committee recommends closure of north-end Halifax’s Highland Park Junior High
While the motions were met with majority support, some board members did raise issues surrounding the credibility of the final report based on the fact that St. Catherine’s School was not included in the process. Board member Sheryl Blumenthal said it was “misjustice” and asked that a more thorough review take place.
Despite being located in the city’s west end, French immersion students from St. Catherine’s filter into Oxford for junior high. Some parents in attendance also shouted frustrations over having been left out of the decision-making process.
Also on the agenda was whether or not to initiate a school review process for the Auburn High and Cole Harbour High district family of schools.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia defers decision on costly P3 schools to October
The board voted in favour of moving ahead with this process, however there were some concerns over whether the allotted time would be enough to conduct a thorough review given the fact there are 17 schools under that umbrella. As a result they have decided to ask the province for an extension beyond the usual nine months.
The review will address issues surrounding extra capacity and declining enrollment, an issue that will only be heightened in 2018 when the new high school opens in Eastern Passage.
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