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Community of Kintore Rally Behind Their School

Friday, 27 September 2013 09:43

Hundreds show up for rally to save AJ Baker Public School.

The Town of Kintore doubled it's population Thursday night in an effort to save AJ Baker Public School.

The school has been put on the chopping block by the Thames Valley District School Board, with the first Accommodation Review meeting held Thursday night.

Concerned parent, Marcus Ryan is part of the ARC, and says many of the families at the school have been there for 150 years.  "They came here and they cut down the trees and they pulled the stumps and they made the corduroy roads and they cleared the fields and they built the barns and they built the houses, and when they were done all that work, they decided that that was not enough that they needed a future for their community and that the future of their community was their kids and that the future for those kids was a school".

Should AJ Baker close, students would be dispersed to Embro, Thamesford, and West Nissouri Public Schools.

Resident Alan Slater says if the school closes it will divide the community.  "In spite of the fact that this is a serious situation it is a fun time too and it's really good community building, and I hope that the people making the decision see the importance of this".

Oxford Trustee Bill McKinnon told Heart FM what the board will be looking for when making their decision.  "We look for uniqueness of schools, we look for obviously growth in areas, we look for how much funding it's going to cost to keep schools open as well, and we've taken everything into consideration whether it be transportation, school walking zones and a great night like this too".

More than 300 people showed up at the community rally before the meeting

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