Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board Director of Education Paul Picard attends the regular board meeting held November 24, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board Director of Education Paul Picard attends the regular board meeting held November 24, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor

Decade Of Peace

On the heels of three Catholic schools being voted closed, the board's director of education says there shouldn't be any more on the chopping block for the next decade.

Paul Picard says the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board now has less than 1,000 empty student spaces or about 25 per school.

"We're done," says Picard. "You won't be hearing any more accommodation reviews coming from this board in the foreseeable future, so the community should be very happy with that."

It seems parents with children enrolled in Catholic schools can be at ease on the issue of school closures for a while.

"I can't envision anything for ten years," says Picard. "The only way that we might envision an accommodation review moving forward is in the other way; if we need more space."

Picard is adamant the most recent moves by the board have left little to cut by way of wasted space at area Catholic schools.

"We've cut our footprint so dramatically, so low that if we have to do any accommodation review it'll be positive accommodation review," says Picard. "It'll be to grow."

The board voted closed schools in Leamington, Amherstburg and west Windsor on Tuesday night as it wrestles with the challenges of declining enrolment and fewer provincial dollars for empty student spaces.

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