Trustees defer decision regarding Warren Central Public School

At the regular Board meeting held on February 19th, 2008, Rainbow District School Board trustees deferred a decision regarding the accommodation of students in Warren Central Public School.

“Following the January Board meeting, we sent a letter to the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel Ontario with a formal request for sufficient space within~École St. Thomas in Warren to accommodate the students, staff and program currently at Warren Central Public School,” said Board Chair Judy Hunda.

She added: “We were informed that trustees of the French Catholic School Board would consider Rainbow District School Board’s request through community consultation. The board anticipates having a response to our request by March or April.”

In its final report on the accommodation of students, the Board’s Administrative Council recommended that Warren Central Public School be closed effective September 2008 and that students be included in the program of revitalization at Markstay Public School.

“Given the small cohort of 16 students at Warren Central Public School, the Board’s Administrative Council does not see any educational advantage to co-locating students in École St. Thomas,” said Director of Education Jean Hanson.  In making its final recommendations to the Board, Administrative Council considered student learning as the first and foremost priority.

“For this reason, Administrative Council maintains that Warren Central Public School be closed effective September 2008 and that students be included in the program of revitalization at Markstay Public School,” said Director Hanson. “The mandate was to maximize student learning within the resources available to the Board in keeping with two guiding principles – to ensure that all students continue to have access to the best programming possible in quality school facilities and to reduce surplus space.”

The Administrative Council’s final report on the accommodation of students in Warren Central Public School is available online at rainbowschools.ca. Click on “accommodation” under “highlights”.

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Media Contact:
Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.