Nicholas Donaldson
The Rainy River District School Board has decided to proceed with a modified Student Accommodation Review for the consolidation of its two schools in Atikokan.
The resolution to begin the review was passed at the board’s regular meeting last Tuesday (April 4).
Five options were presented to the trustees, including three for the Atikokan High School site, one for the North Star Community School site, and one using a combination of both sites.
Director of Education Heather Campbell, Superintendent of Business Laura Mills, and Travis Enge, manager of Plant Operations and Maintenance, presented the options to trustees and gave their recommendation.
The recommended plan for consolidation consists of a single Kindergarten to Grade 12 facility at the Atikokan High School site.
It also includes the demolition of most of the high school and a rebuild to better suit the needs of a consolidated school.
The exception to this demolition would be the Grayson Hall gymnasium built in 1985 and the Outers’ facility.
Both were deemed very important to the new school in the plan.
The recommended plan allows for right-sizing of the school and a larger playground to accommodate younger students.
It also provides a sufficient separation of the elementary and secondary students in the building.
Enge said this is the preferred option because of the current high school’s need for repairs and the benefits of a modern, energy-efficient building.
He told trustees that the Faculty Condition Index, a measure of maintenance and renewal compared with the replacement value of a school, is 73 percent for Atikokan High School.
A zero percent value means the school is in perfect condition while a 100 percent value means that it theoretically would cost just as much to rebuild as it would to repair.
“In general, a FCI approaching or exceeding 65 percent indicates the need to replace a school,” noted Enge.
The FCI of North Star Community School is just 37 percent, with the relatively good condition of the elementary school meaning it possibly can be renovated for other purposes.
Possible options could be a long-term care or assisted-living facility for the Atikokan General Hospital.
Mills explained the financial side of the decision that has to do, in part, with changes by the Ministry of Education.
“The ministry funding formula is starting to push towards consolidation, and taking away grants that support non-consolidation” she noted.
Mills also said although there is an impact on the board’s operating budget, the proposed consolidation project does provide sufficient funding for the school.
The project also addresses the renewal costs and the under-utilization of the schools in the long-term, she noted.
Campbell told trustees that if they did agree to the need for a review, the two options were a modified student accommodation review process or an exemption because the consolidated school is to be built on an existing site.
“We feel very strongly that a consultation should occur with the community, and therefore recommend you to proceed to approve a modified accommodation review,” Campbell said.
Trustees had no questions for the presenters at last week’s meeting.
But trustee Michael Lewis noted this was because six of the seven trustees were at the finance committee meeting held March 28, when the proposal was discussed before bringing it to the board.
