School Review Process

The Public School Review process is a legislated process outlined in the Education Act by the provincial government. Schools Boards are directed to follow the process when identifying and reviewing a school for closure. It is important to note that the school review process does not always result in a school being either closed or “saved.” In some cases, schools receive significant physical or programming upgrades as a result of being reviewed.

As part of the identification process, the Board receives an Identification Report, which includes quantitative data about the school. Square footage, busing requirements, enrollment, staffing and accessibility are just a few details included.

When a school is identified for review by the Board, there are a number of phases to work through before a final decision is made. An Impact Assessment Report is prepared by staff. This report offers a larger picture of the school and includes important community input. The report is then received by the Board and reviewed by a Study Committee, comprised of community and Board members.

The process is approximately 18 months from start to finish. In March, 2011, the Board voted to select no schools for the full Public School Review process.

In March, 2011, staff presented School Identification Reports to the Board for possible school review. At a special Board Meeting on March 30th, 2011, the Board voted to not review any schools.

To view the School Identification Reports click HERE.

Recent Reviews

The first phase of the most recently completed review process was carried out by Board principals, staff and teachers from 2005 to 2007. From this phase, two major reports were produced for the Board - the Phase I Report on Program Review and the Supplementary Report on Program Review. Both documents can be accessed by clicking on their names.

In 2005, the South Shore Regional School Board initiated a review to assess whether the education program was being delivered as effectively as possible, given the limited resources of the Board in a time of declining enrolment.

The School Utilization Study determined how the Board could make use of its facilities to realize the vision of sustainable quality programming developed in Phase I. The consultant hired to carry out the utilization study issued a Public Discussion Paper in November 2007, which was the subject of public meetings in January and February 2008. Using feedback from those meetings, the consultant developed the School Utilization Report Part 2, which included his recommendations. He also produced a report on Equitable Access which looked at how to improve access to the Board's special or alternate programs to make it more equitable.

In the Phase II reports, the consultant recommended that seven schools be subject to the province's School Review Process. That year-long process is governed by the Education Act and the regulations of the Department of Education. Possible outcomes of the review process include, reconfiguration, consolidation, alternate use of school areas, closure of the school, and continuation of the current situation at the school.

At the March 26, 2008, meeting, the Board selected seven schools to undergo the review process - Big Tancook Island Elementary School, Lunenburg Junior/Senior High School, Lunenburg Academy, Centre Consolidated School, Greenfield Elementary School, Milton Centennial School and Riverport and District Elementary School. The Board motions on the school reviews are available here, and the Board's news release is here.

Impact Assessment Reports were prepared for each of the schools under review, using a template developed by the Department of Education. The template provides a comprehensive review of the impact of each of the outcomes of the review process, including impact on the community, on students attending the school being reviewed and on schools that might receive students from the school being reviewed.

At the May 28, 2008, meeting, the Board tabled Impact Assessment Reports for Centre Consolidated School, Lunenburg Academy, Lunenburg Junior/Senior High School, Milton Centennial School and Riverport and District Elementary School.

The advisory committees of the schools under review had until November 30, 2008, to respond to the Impact Assessment Reports. Response were received from all five schools. Click on the name to access the responses from Centre Consolidated, Lunenburg Academy, Lunenburg Junior/Senior, Milton and Riverport.

At its meeting on May 27, 2009, the Board received Impact Assessment Reports for Big Tancook Elementary School and Greenfield Elementary School. After discussion, the Board decided that Big Tancook would continue in the school review process but that Greenfield would not. The motions relating to those reports are available here.

The Board tabled the Big Tancook Elementary School response to the report at its October 28, 2009 meeting. It was decided that this school would remain open.

Riverport and District Elementary, Centre Consolidated and Lunenburg Academy were all selected to close with the construction of a new Primary to Grade nine school. High school students from Lunenburg Junior/Senior High School were moved to Park View Education Centre, while junior high students went to Centre Consolidated. This was to allow for the demolition of LJSHS and the construction of the new school on that site. Bluenose Academy is scheduled to open in January 2012 at which time Riverport and District Elementary, Centre Consolidated and Lunenburg Academy will close.