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Dear Ms. Casey,

I am writing to you to express my concern over the SSRSB meeting on February 22, 2017 that I attended in which the motion to close Petite Riviere Elementary School was discussed.

I was very hopeful going into the meeting that the board would have a chance to review new information regarding projected enrollment numbers, and new circumstances surrounding the availability of money for an Addition & Alteration to either Petite or Pentz. This was not the case. Instead the board emphasized old information, discussed the finality of the motion to close the schools, and the legal opinion of their lawyer, which is only an opinion and does not mean that the motion cannot be rescinded.

With new information, and new circumstances the motion to close the schools may be rescinded and considering how many errors were made in the passing of the motion that the board admitted to (the contingency to open a new school in the area, the lack of legal council in place during the vote on the motion, and not letting the public know about the appeal process), I find it unconscionable that the board would call a motion to rescind “out of order” which Elliot Payzant did.

I do not feel that this board is working in the best interests of the community or it’s children nor do I think it is responsible to burden the municipality with 2 more empty schools. I do not feel comfortable paying for a sub-par education for my children while at the same time watching a perfectly good building (according to the Stantec report that was just done on it) rot away.

In addition, I think it is a disservice to the education of the children at Hebbville Academy where the SSRSB projected most students from Petite and Pentz to relocate to, potentially overburdening that school with 150 new students.

I don’t know what to say other than that I do not feel that the board is motivated by an earnest desire to serve all students of the SSRSB nor do I feel they are representing me or the region, and they are not acting in the best interests of all schools involved; Pentz, Petite or Hebbville. I feel there is a definite lack of due diligence in this matter.

Thank you

Johanna Hayes

We were invited to ‘upcycling day’ and arrived at a gym filled with craft supplies, toilet paper tubes, plastic containers, tissue boxes, etc. where the entire school worked on their various inventions. Together.

They patiently waited in line asking politely for the community volunteers to hot glue the base to their rocket. They helped each other brainstorm ideas. They shared materials. They created whatever their imagination allowed….microphones, spaceships, robots!

They learned about science, art, math and more. At the end, they all worked together to tidy the gym and sort the items for recycling.

It was amazing to see over 75 kids playing and working together, without a moment of chaos.

This is where my boys need to spend their elementary school days.

Close to their home. Close to their community. 

Tara J.

I don’t have words to express how concerned I am about the potential closure of this school. Nor do I have words to express my frustration with the school board.

Over the last 15 years I have watched the community of Petite and surrounding area grow as young families move here. Two years ago I decided to buy a house here, and the school was a major factor in that decision. My husband went there, and my daughter will start in 2020. Where else does a horse deliver seaweed to fertilize the community garden tended by children along the banks of a river? I already use the school twice a week for a play group and an exercise class. There is an obvious baby boom happening here, and projected numbers for the school are increasing. It is a community school in the truest sense of the word, and a cornerstone of this vibrant community.

I wonder who is being served by the School Board’s refusal to revisit (or rescind) their motion to close. The process has been fraught with conflict of interest. The community wants the school to stay open. The Government wants the school to stay open – they have continually committed $6 million for a renovation. The children will benefit from the small school environment.

So Elliot Payzant’s comment that the SSRSB Administration will save money is what this is really about. The only winner is the bottom line. A few million saved over a number of years, on the backs of our children and to the detriment of the whole community. A legal opinion is just that – an opinion. This school board could gain so much goodwill from the community if they would revisit their motion to close. Unfortunately it seems that the board being “right” is more important than the job they were elected to do – serve the best interests of their constituents. True leadership is the ability to admit when a mistake has been made, and to take steps to right that mistake.

I am disgusted with how this is playing out.

Leitha H.

Dear Board Members of the South Shore Regional School Board:

I am writing to you about the decision to close Petite Riviere Elementary School, and the devastating impact it will have on our children and our community.

I am writing to you to ask you to find a solution.

And I am writing to you to talk about leadership.

I moved here in 2015 because of the vibrant community that exists. In rural Nova Scotia, where young families are leaving in record numbers, Petite is a flourishing area where new families are choosing to build their lives. I chose to become one of those families, because I wanted my daughter – who is almost 18 months old – to grow up with a clan of kids she could belong to. I wanted her to attend a school where we know the teachers by name (already!). I wanted her to get her education in small classes, on a river, where a horse delivers the seaweed needed to fertilize the garden that is tended by the students.

This experience is unique, and something precious and attractive. I know it has attracted young families from all over Canada, because the value of a small community school is universal. As a result, there has been a baby boom in recent years. I personally know of 15 preschool aged children living within a 5km radius of my house. There are many, many more within the Petite catchment area. School enrollment is projected to rise to 98 students by 2020 – up to 130 including students from Pentz.

I have closely followed the saga of the decision to close Petite and Pentz schools. I understand your “legal opinion” suggests you can only act on the decision to close the schools, and can ignore the caveat that a new school must be built. I’ve listened to Mr. Payzant insist that the process to close the school cannot be stopped, and I’ve watched this community struggle to find alternative solutions over and over for the past four years, only to have each one turned down by the board. (For example, creating a HUB school, finding tenants, and other suggestions proposed by the SAC over the years.)

I have also read the report from Stantec, an independent review company, which states keeping either Pentz OR Petite open with renovations is best value option for the taxpayer. I have understood the Minister of Education has offered six million dollars, repeatedly, for an Addition and Alteration. And I have watched as parents and community members have contributed hours and hours of their time and money to try and find a solution to save the school that is the centre of our community.

Who is being served by the decision to close this school? Not the students, some of whom will have to be bused for up to an hour each way to attend Hebbville Academy, with larger classes. Not the taxpayers, who would be best served by an A&A as per Stantec’s report. Not the citizens, who voted for you to sit on the SSRSB to represent our best interests and protect our community schools. Not even the government is served by this decision – the Minister can clearly see that keeping this school open is in the best interest of everyone, and has OFFERED the money needed to make it happen. And you – Board Members – are not being served by this decision, as you will lose the support of the people who put you in that position.

Who is being served by this decision? The SSRSB Administration, and their commitment to the bottom line. The well being of our children and the very future of our community is being traded away for a small monetary saving – a saving that is negligible when you consider the added costs of bussing, and the cost to the Municipality (and us tax payers again) to deal with the surplus building.

I implore you to find a solution. Seek a second legal opinion. Consult with the Minister of Education. Rescind the contentious motion and start over. Mr. Payzant speaks as though there is no going back – he says the process has started and your hands are tied, as though you have pushed a boulder over a precipice and you can’t fight gravity. But there is no boulder. There is a motion. Which according to Robert’s Rules of Order, can be rescinded.

Now I would like to speak to you about leadership.

I know these decisions are hard to make, and once made – you want to stick by them. You want to say – they may be difficult, but we had to make hard choices and it’s for the best. You want to be RIGHT.

But real leadership comes in the form of being able to look at new information made available to you (funding available for an A&A, a growing school population in the coming years, the inability to get funding for a new school), and to change your viewpoint.

Real leadership is shown when you can say – we made a mistake, and we will take responsibility for that and we will fix it.

Real leadership is putting aside your need to be right in order to do what is right.

Simply put, if you close this school, you will kill this community. You have the power to do the right thing. Find the solution. We are all here to help you.

Sincerely,

Leitha Haysom, on behalf of my daughter, Scarlett