Closing schools can have a significant impact on rural communities - especially where there is only one school in a community.
The Rural Ontario Institute is worried about changes the provincial Ministry of Education is proposing to the process of determining whether a school should be closed.
The Institute says the Ministry wants to remove consideration of the community impacts from the reviews and reduce public meeting requirements.
Spokesman Norm Ragetlie says the Ministry also doesn't seem to be pushing the idea of schools as community hubs.
He argues that's something the Premier's mandate letters to the Ministries of Education and Muncipal Affairs and Housing specifically talked about.
The proposals also push school boards to involve municipalities in their decision-making process.
But the Institute questions what input municipalities could have if the review process can't take into consideration the community impact of a school closure.
The Ministry of Education is accepting feedback on the proposals until December 18th.
More details are on the Rural Ontario Institute's website.
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Ragetlie says the proposals include removing consideration of the community impacts of potential school closures.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RAGETLIE-Schools-1.mp3"][/audio]
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Ragetlie says the Ministry is proposing changes to the process it uses regarding school closures - changes which he says don't require the board's to do due diligence on potential partnerships to keep those schools open.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RAGETLIE-School-21.mp3"][/audio]
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Ragetlie says while the proposals push the boards to consult with the municipalities, they would allow the boards to disregard concerns about the impact the closure could have on the community.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/RAGETLIE-School-3.mp3"][/audio]
