EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally said the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) voted in favour of closing two schools in the city’s northeast, which was not correct. The EPSB explained trustees simply voted to consider closing the schools and to “ask the minister for an exemption to a portion of the closure process that contemplates our consultation process.” The EPSB said if the minister grants the exemption, then the board will vote on whether to close the schools. The article has since been corrected.
The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) has voted in favour of considering closing two schools in the city’s northeast and to “ask the minister for an exemption to a portion of the closure process that contemplates our consultation process.”
At a board meeting Tuesday, trustees voted unanimously to consider closing both Montrose and Mount Royal elementary schools.
Students from the schools that could potentially close would attend nearby Highlands School which will undergo renovations that are expected to take years to complete.
The board said it believed a modernized educational setting at Highlands would benefit all students.
The chair of the EPSB said she believes the community thinks the amalgamation would be a positive step as well.
“The community has really walked with us along here,” Michelle Draper, the chair of the EPSB said after the vote. “This is something that we’ve had several engagement opportunities where community are able to express their desires for what this learning environment will really be and we’re just excited to continue to move on.”
If the EPSB eventually votes in favour of closing Montrose and Mount Royal, both schools would stay open until Highlands’ modernization is complete. The renovations are expected to take three years.