Trustees with the Avon Maitland District School Board have put off a decision on the proposed boundary adjustment in North Perth until the end of May.
Superintendent, Cheri Carter, says the consultants report contained a great deal of information, but she says there was no clear consensus from parents about which option they preferred. Carter says the majority said they would prefer the board just do nothing and she says that's not an option because to have to find a way to create more space to accommodate the population growth in the are. Carter says, because it's such a difficult decision and one that impacts to many people in the community, she believes the trustees just wanted more time to review the information and make sure they understand what the community is saying and what staff is saying, what the number are saying and how it will work, before they make a decision.
Carter says parents at all of the schools involved were presented with two options. Both included boundary adjustments between Eastdale and North Perth Westfield and one also included one between Eastdale and Elma, which is a future development. But she says,really the question is where do the seven – eights go. So the kids that are leaving Eastdale, do they go to Westfield, do they to Elma, or do they go to LDSS. Carter says, if they go to the high school, the seven and eights from North Perth Westfield would join them.
Carter says, she believes, where the seven and eights go is really the biggest challenge facing the trustees. Carter adds, regardless of what they do now, if the growth in that area continues, they'll be dealing with the same problem all over again in ten years.
