The schools recommended for closure are: Georgetown Elementary, Belfast Consolidated., St. Louis Elementary, Bloomfield and St. Jean Elementary.
The report also recommends a major rezoning to ease overcrowding in some schools and to increase access to French and specialized curriculum.
The report is not the final word on the fate of these schools. A category II report must go to public consultation for a 60-day period.
Any school closures would have to go to cabinet for approval.
Below are all the recommendations. The full reports tabled at tonight's meeting can be viewed here.
SEE RELATED: Parents devastated to learn five Island schools recommended for closure
Recommendations
Montague
1. Close Georgetown Elementary, rezone students to Cardigan Consolidated and Montague intermediate
2. Merge south of Mount Stewart catchment with Cardigan Consolidated and merge Montague Intermediate and Montague high catchments
3. Close Belfast Consolidated school. Merge eastern portion of catchment with Southern Kings and eastern with Vernon River
4. Make Southern Kings Consolidated school a K-9 school
5. Add late french to Montague Intermediate to allow K-6 students to remain in their community until Grade 7 (pending enrolment)
Charlottetown
1. Consolidate Colonel Gray and Charlottetown Rural into one family of schools with 10 elementary, 3 intermediate and 2 high schools
2. Close St. Jean Elementary School (it currently has lowest utilization of all city schools and needs major renovations, report says)
3. Merge the Glen Stewart and Donagh catchments to reduce enrolments at Glen Stewart and Stratford Elementary schools
4. Eliminate St. Jean catchment and merge Spring Park catchment with West Kent to move some students from Spring Park to West Kent
5. Reduce enrolment at West Royalty by eliminating dual West Kent/West Royalty catchment, create room for french immersion at West Royalty
6. Merge parts of Parkdale and Sherwood catchments with Prince Street to reduce travel time for some students
7. Merge parts of Sherwood, Prince Street and St Jean catchments with Parkdale to reduce travel tim and reduce enrolment at Sherwood
8. Merge portion of L.M Montgomery and Parkdale catchments with Sherwood to address overcrowding at L.M. Montgomery
9. Reduce the L.M. Montgomery catchment, again to address overcrowding situation there
10. West Kent and West Royalty will both offer both english and early french immersion programming
11. Rezone Stratford & Donagh Intermedia students to Birchwood to reduce major overcrowding at Stonework, increase utilization of Birchwood
12. Reduce the Stonepark Intermediate school zone to ease overcrowding
13. At later date, Colonel Gray & Charlottetown Rural catchments to be investigated.Over 50% of students travel to schools further than home
Morell
1. Rezone Savage Harbour students to Mount Stewart Consolidated
2. Make Mount Stewart Consolidated and Morell Consolidated K-6 schools
3. Make Morell Regional school a K-12. This will reduce Grade 7-8 students' transition time for access to specialist curriculum
4. Merge Mount Stewart Consolidated and Cardigan Consolidated catchments and Montague Intermediate and Montague Regional catchments
5. At future date, investigate feasibility of closing Mount Stewart & Morell Consolidated schools and renovating Morell Regional into a K-12
Westisle
1. Close St. Louis elementary and move students to Tignish Elementary
2. Close Bloomfield and move students to O'Leary and Alberton
3. O'Leary and Alberton Elementary will both offer english and early french immersion curriculum programming
4. Adjust Hearnwood and M.E. Callaghan catchments for better enrolment balance and better transportation times
5. Allow community groups to retain access to St. Louis school for gymnastics club that currently operates within the school
