Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School will close its doors for good next year.
Trustees with the Lambton Kent District School Board voted 9-2 in favour of a staff recommendation Tuesday at Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School.
St. Clair Secondary School students will temporarily relocate at SCITS this September to allow for renovations to be done at the Murphy Rd. school. All students will move back to the consolidated St. Clair site the following year.
Staff's final report says SCITS capital costs are nearly $19-million greater than St. Clair, as are operating costs, which is a difference of almost $187,000.
Operating an amalgamated student population at St. Clair is expected to save $1.1-million annually.
Director of Education Jim Costello introduced the recommendation Tuesday, which was first brought to the board last November. He feels staff did a fair comparison of the two sites with the board making a financially responsible decision for the long term.
"I feel sad for the students, staff and parents of the SCITS community and now we've got to work together to try and make this consolidation the best that it can be," he says.
Trustee Lareina Rising voted a thumbs down, saying programming at St. Clair would be to the detriment of students in comparison to ammenities available at SCITS. Trustee Elizabeth Hudie says some things are worth saving in today's throw away culture, also voting to save the 94-year-old high school.
Various trustees stressed it was a tough decision and they wanted to do what's best for the students.
The board's two student trustees also had a say in a non-binding vote Tuesday, with Cole Anderson's support against the recommendation.
"There were strong feelings around the table on both sides of the issue," says Costello. "I think the trustees listened very well to the members of the public, and listened and read our reports thoroughly."
However, Save SCITS member Susan Mackenzie would disagree.
She says many trustees did not consider a Save SCITS report, made available last week, which outlines discrepancies they felt were made throughout the recommendation process.
"We asked for a show of hands, four put their hands up. So four of 11 trustees read it, the other seven trustees ignored the public, ignored the constituents," she says. "That's what that tells me."
Mackenzie and another Save SCITS member, Jennifer George both felt the board's decision was a huge loss to the students.
"Consolidation was the best for student programming and everything, we just felt that the SCITS site would be best," says George.
The large crowd attending Tuesday's vote had quietly, and respectfully left the auditorium once it was made. However, many public members were quite emotional once entering the hallway, with many hugs being given and tears shed.
That included Save SCITS member Kara Woolridge, who fought back tears recalling the group's efforts over the last handful of months.
"You can't complain later on down the road if you didn't do your best and you didn't try," she says. "So we tried."
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