Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy says with 18 Bluewater schools facing possible accommodation reviews, it's time to give municipalities a voice in the process.
Boddy says he asked Education Minister Mitzie Hunter yesterday to extend and improve consultation and communication with it comes to schools.
He says closing schools is about more than just funding.
"For a small town, if you close a school, and kids have to ride the bus, then they're no longer getting a part time job in town after that. It starts to affect businesses and the ball starts rolling the wrong way for a small community," he adds.
He says the sudden closure of Owen Sound District Collegiate erases 160 years of history. He understands its too late to save OSCVI, but says the school review process needs to change.
"We're hoping we can help with the process going forward with these suggestions and get them to review their policy," says Boddy. "We still have something like 18 schools in the Bluewater School Board that could be reviewed, and that's quite a number for our area."
Boddy also says the provinces education funding policies put rural students at a disadvantage.
"Somebody in a small school, in a small rural area, shouldn't receive less education, or more challenges, and less programming than downtown Toronto," says Boddy.
Owen Sound's Mayor also points out that rural students are not getting the same opportunities as those in the city due to the funding formula.
