Highland Park Junior High could close its doors for good, if the Halifax Regional School Board – and the province – accept the final report and five key recommendations of one of its committees.
A school advisory council is recommending that a new school be built that will consolidate the students at Highland Park with Grades 7 through 9 at Oxford School.
“It’ll save money in the long run,” said SAC chair and parent Angela Comeau. “Having to repair these older buildings continually costs the government a lot of money.”
“To build a brand new school – something fresh for the kids to go to – I think it will benefit the community. And this is what the community wanted,” said Comeau.
The council will present its report to the Halifax Regional School Board at a meeting on Aug. 31. The board is expected to make a decision by mid-September before forwarding its final recommendation onto the province.
While the coouncil was initially considering the closure of Oxford School, it is now recommending it stay open and be reconfigured for primary to Grade 6 students. They would also like to see it included in a future review.
“It was kind of something that we had struggled with,” Jon Frost, chair of the council, said. “Oxford is also serving the west end and there are schools over there that need to be reviewed. Maybe (Oxford) should stay and another one should go. But, that’s for that side of the city to decide, not for us.”
The council is also recommending major renovations to St. Joseph A. Mackay and minor renovations to Joseph Howe and St. Stephen’s Elementary.
“It’s really exciting to see whats going to happen in the north end in the next 20 to 30 years,” said Comeau. “St. Joseph A. McKay will hopefully get a brand new school. It’s 90 years old. It needs something. The other schools will become wheelchair accessible.”
The Halifax Regional School Board approved the review of the five schools in December 2015 and the advisory council was formed at the beginning of this year.
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