Near North School Board officials are standing firm on their decision to keep McDougall School open next year.
In a statement released April 27, Board Chair Ashley St. Pierre and Vice-Chair Howard Wesley responded to the Minister of Education’s “threatening letter” and called on Minister Paul Calandra to correct the public record.
They say there have been no on-going discussions with other school boards regarding the future use of McDougall school, and that the Ministry failed to respond to their October request for a discussion regarding their concerns around the new K-12 facility.
They also say that after extensive consultation, data review, and ‘silence from the Ministry’, trustees determined the new super school would not have the capacity to accommodate all elementary students from Nobel, Parry Sound and McDougall, without immediately resorting to portables and overcrowded classrooms.
“This is bigger than just McDougall Public School,” said St. Pierre. “It’s about protecting the integrity of public education governance in Ontario. I am calling on provincial leaders to denounce the Ministry’s spread of misinformation and public threats against a board that is putting students first.”
Wesley also addressed the governance concerns raised by the Ministry’s engagement.
“True effective governance is built on honesty, transparency, and respect for local decision-making – not political interference,” he said, noting that the Ministry has escalated the situation by issuing public threats of regulatory intervention without first attempting constructive engagement.
Earlier this month, Education Minister Paul Calandra sent a letter to the Board criticizing their decision to keep the school open another year and threatened to intervene and reverse what he describes as a fiscally irresponsible decision.
“Your eleventh-hour decision reverses more than ten years of work and capital planning, not to mention significant expenditure,” stated Calandra. “This is not in the best interest of students, taxpayers, or the community. Your decision is unacceptable.”
