The Near North District School Board will host three public consultations in November to hear from community partners about potential partnerships that could help out with costs at high schools in North Bay. They will take place on the 21st at Woodland Public School, on the 23rd at Parry Sound Public School and Almaguin Highlands Secondary School. The NNDSB Capital Plan includes the possibility of turning three of the local high schools into one.
Near North Board Chair David Thompson says this is just the beginning of the process. Thompson says one of the biggest things involved in the process is programming. Currently, West Ferris, Chippewa and Widdifield are dealing with enrolment problems. Numbers are down, and that affects the types of programs that can be offered.
Thompson says the board is looking for partnerships in the community to help the schools improve. Thompson says the potential for partnerships is a big factor in this process. He used the Co-Op program as an example. Â Saying what if students could go to school in the morning and then head downstairs to the shop for the Co-Op course in the afternoon. Thompson says those are the opportunities the board has to explore before they even consider closing any of the schools.
