5 schools with combined enrolment of 89 students being considered for closure

Five schools with a combined enrolment of 89 students are on the chopping block as the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District looks to remove "excessive infrastructure" in the face of declining student numbers in rural areas.

The closures, along with the proposed consolidation of two adjoining schools in St. George's, have the potential to save the province nearly $1.7 million annually, and result in the elimination of nine teaching positions and a smaller number of administrative and secretarial units.

But the interim chief administrative officer with the district says the number of schools under scrutinyis actually much higher.

"I wouldn't nail down an exact number but there's at least in excess of 20 schools that could potentially be reviewed in a givenyear," Tony Stack told CBC News, adding that it's simply not practical to carry out so many reviews at the same time.

Some bus runs up to an hour

The district served notice at a Nov. 25 board meeting that a review could result in the permanent closure at the end of this school year of LeGallaisMemorial in Isle aux Morts, Swift Current Academy, James Cook Memorial in Cook's Harbour, Leading Tickles Primary and H.L. Strong Academy in Little Bay Islands.

The students will be accommodated at othersschools, although in some situations bus runs could be close to an hour.

"There are many schools that are travelling up to an hour on a bus to a new location, so 50 minutes is well within that parameter," Stack said in reference to a proposal to transport Swift Current Academy students to Tricentia Academy in Arnold's Cove.

Enrolments at the schools slated for closure range from a high of 47 at LeGallaisMemorial to a low of zero at H.L. Strong Academy.

Second attempt to close Swift Current Academy

This is the second attempt to close Swift Current Academy. Five years ago, the former board of trustees backed down after angry parents argued that the bus ride to Clarenvillewas too much for their children.

There's no sign yet of a similar resistance.

"We have not discussed it yet," Nancy Barrington, chair of the Swift Current Academy school council, said Friday. She added that the school council will meet Wednesday to decide on a response.

Meanwhile, the board is also proposing to consolidate Our Lady of Mercy Elementary and Appalachia High in St. George's. The two schools are currently housed in a single building connected by a hallway, with a combined enrolment of 263.

Trustees to vote Feb. 3

The board of trustees has initiated a process whereby parents and others can provide feedback on the proposals, and a vote on the reviews will take place at a board meeting Feb. 3.

"It's tough going in and talking to a community sometimes where maybe there's no post office there anymore or ATM and now someone is coming to talk to them about their school closing. It's not an easy conversation," Stack said.

"But we have to take a broad view. A provincial view. And sometimes hard decisions have to be made."

It's tough going in and talking to a community sometimes where maybe there's no post office there anymore or ATM and now someone is coming to talk to them about their school closing. It's not an easy conversation.- Tony Stack, interimCEO, NL English School District

There are currently 254 schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Stack said that number is too high.

"We have excess infrastructure, clearly, and generally it is in areas where we face declining enrolment," he said.

To put that into perspective, Stack said there were roughly 5,400 graduates last year, with 4,500 kindergarten students.

Twenty years ago there were nearly 6,500 kindergarten students.

Meanwhile, some schools previously targeted for closure have escaped review this time around, including WhitbourneElementary, which was spared by a court ruling in June.

When asked why, Stack said: "When the trustees went through the list (of schools to be reviewed), Whitbournewasn't there."