O'Leary residents urged to speak up for elementary school

O'Leary residents concerned about the future of their elementary school are being urged to speak up.

P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is continuing its review of the Island's six families of schools to determine which should be rezoned, reconfigured or possibly closed..

The public meeting on the Westisle family of schools takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., at Westisle High School, and O'Leary Mayor Eric Gavin is encouraging residents to get out and make their voices heard.

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"Instead of people sitting home saying maybe I should've went to that meeting, or maybeshould've said this or maybe I should've said that, maybe you should should be at that meeting," he told CBC Radio'sMainstreet.

Gavin said he recognizes that some changes might have to be made in the area, but he thinks the elementary school in his town should remain open.

'Trying to increase population'

"We're trying to increase the population in here," he said. "If I was a young family moving to a place, the first two questions I would ask is hospital and school. I'm kind of scared if there's no hospital and no school, instead of the family moving here, maybe they're going to move on to somewhere else."

The province's six families of schools are Charlottetown Rural, Morell, Colonel Gray, Kinkora, Montague and Westisle. The Westisle family of schools includes the following:

• Westisle Composite High, Grades 10 to 12
• Alberton Elementary, Kindergarten (K) to Grade 6
• Bloomfield Elementary, K to Grade 6
• Ellerslie Elementary, K to Grade 6
• Hernewood Intermediate School, Grades 7 to 9
• M.E. Callaghan Intermediate School, Grades 7 to 9
• O'Leary Elementary, K to Grade 6
• St. Louis Elementary, K to Grade 6
• Tignish Elmentary, K to Grade 6

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