The future of John N. Given Public School in Chatham will be discussed at a public meeting Thursday night.
Trustees with the Lambton Kent District School Board have voted in favour of moving forward with a pupil accommodation review.
That review suggests amalgamating the elementary school with Tecumseh Public School, and moving its Grade 7 and 8 French Immersion Program to McNaughton Avenue Public School. The plan would see John N. Given closed in June of 2017.
But Superintendent of Education Gary Girardi is assuring parents and students nothing is set in stone.
"Anytime we talk about school consolidation, it is a concern for families and students, and people in the community," he says. "The process is just starting. There are two public meetings and two working meetings where we try to have discussions that are relevant to the conversation."
Thursday marks the first public meeting, with a second opportunity for the community to respond to the plan in February.
The board will present a final report to trustees in April.
"The final staff report could have changes, it could be similar," says Girardi. "People from the public will then have another opportunity to delegate to trustees in response to that final staff report, and then after that trustees then vote on that final staff report. So the process actually takes some time to move through."
Trustees vote in May, but through it all, Girardi says community consultation is a large part of the process.
"Come and listen, or participate in the conversation, because we are interested in hearing people's perspectives. We hope that through the process we can have a rich discussion," he says, "so that when we present the final staff report to trustees, they have as much information as possible to make a good decision."
The public meeting starts at 6pm at John N. Given Public School.
