Better Farming February 2017

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At a packed meeting in early
December in the gymnasium
at Beavercrest Community
School in Markdale in Grey County,
parent representatives in an accom-
modation review committee squared
off.
The parents were there to study the
Bluewater District School Board’s
plans for the future of three elementa-
ry schools along a 28-kilometre
stretch of Highway 10 in central Grey
County. They contended like trial
lawyers over their community’s
existing schools.
Board officials, who declined an
interview request, had slated Beaver-
crest for closing at the end of the
current school year. Beavercrest’s
defenders highlighted the school’s
central location and proximity to the
hospital and other village services,
including municipal water. They also
noted that the region’s major employ-
er, Chapman’s Ice Cream, has 600
employees and is growing.
Beavercrest parents also ques-
tioned well water quality at nearby
Holland-Chatsworth Central School.
Board reports recommend that this
school receive improvements and an
influx of new students when Beaver-
crest closes.
Built in 1950 and featuring three
subsequent additions, Beavercrest has
projected five-year capital renewal
costs of $2.6 million, judging by a
board report. Enrolment is about 119
students short of the school’s 314
pupil capacity.
Holland-Chatsworth school is
located near a tiny crossroads settle-
ment that does not have much other
nearby infrastructure. It is about 18
kilometres north of Markdale (pop.
1,350). For their part, Holland-Chats-
worth parents provided reassuring
safety reports on well water inspec-
tions. They expressed enthusiasm
about their 50-year-old school and
the prospect of raising student
enrolment to fill 340 pupil spaces.
Meanwhile parents representatives
appointed to the review process for
Macphail Memorial Elementary
School in Flesherton (pop. 543), 10
kilometres south of Markdale,
questioned the board and Ontario
Education Ministry analysis that
shows the Flesherton school can
handle as many as 80 additional
students in the coming shake up.
Macphail dates from 2004. This
school has minimal capital renewal
needs, hosts the area’s French immer-
sion program and serves 507 students
RURAL SCHOOLCLOSURES
Parents debate the future
of three local schools
Ashley Chapman, vice-president of Chapman’s Ice Cream, has joined
the debate over school closings with an offer of corporate financial
aid to preserve a school in Markdale.
Chapman's photo