Parents who want to keep M. Gerald Teed School open in Millidgeville came out in large numbers to present the District Education Council Council with alternatives.
They would see M. Gerald Teed be turned into a kindergarten to grade 5 school with an addition built. Millidgeville North would be a regional middle school and parent Deborah Gillis is suggesting a new kindergarten to grade 5 school be built behind the the YMCA. She tells us it is her understanding the school district wants to close Hazen White-St. Francis and Centennial School is in pretty rough shape.
Heather Stephen of the Parent School Support Committee at M.Gerald Teed is also suggesting Princess Elizabeth be turned into a K to 5 school.
Another parent, Tina Hanson points to studies that show a good arrangement is to have schools with students from k to grade two and then other schools with grade 3 to grade 8. She claims bullying increases at middle schools.
The meeting was also told there is a lease agreement in place with the city for the Y’s community centre at the school. If the school closes, Gillis says a lease penalty of over a million dollars would have to be paid to the city.
The President and C-E-O of the ‘Y”, Shilo Boucher says the community centre at the school has over 40 thousand visits a year and the school, itself, is one of the best kept with low maintenance costs.
