Disappointment abounds in Cole Harbour as minister halts school reviews
Posted Jul 11, 2017 05:46:18 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – There’s frustration and disappointment coming from those closely involved with the Cole Harbour school review.
That’s because it’s been halted by the education minister, just days before completion.
Last week Education Minister Zach Churchill instructed school boards around the province to hit the pause button on any school reviews so the government can complete a full review of the administrative structures of the education system. That was a campaign promise from the Liberals.
While the news didn’t catch HRSB Chair Dave Wright off guard, the timing couldn’t be much worse for Cole Harbour.
“Ultimately it was not a surprise that the minister would stop reviews, that was something the party committed to during the election campaign,” Wright told Global News. “The timing is unfortunate for Halifax because we were close to finishing up the Auburn/Cole Harbour review, extremely close. We were touching the finish line.”
After months of work from parents, teachers and the board, a report released weeks ago recommended amalgamating Auburn Drive High School and Cole Harbour District High School to address a lack of student population.
That’s because of the new Eastern Passage High School, which would absorb many students.
The report was scheduled to go before the board Wednesday but it’s not clear if that will happen now.
