Trustees will be going over a lot of new information ahead of their decision on a potential elementary school closure in Leamington.
A public meeting last night at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School saw trustees get a lot of data from the community after a recommendation to close St. Louis Catholic Elementary School was changed to see Queen of Peace Catholic Elementary School closed.
Francine Mastronardi with the Queen of Peace parent council hopes trustees heard their message.
"It's not about just switching it back, it's about creating a vision for the town of Leamington with Catholic faith based education," says Mastronardi. "That's what I want it to be about. Not about one school over the other. It should be about what is best for Leamington as a whole."
Marianne Baeini with the St. Louis parent council is optimistic the school will stay open.
"There's still work to be done. We can't sit back and just hope for the best," says Baeini.
The updated recommendation would see students move from Queen of Peace to St. Louis while a temporary middle school made up of grade seven and eight students would be housed at Queen of Peace before being moved to Cardinal Carter — at which time Queen of Peace would be closed.
Chair of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Barb Holland, says trustees have a lot to consider.
"I would say that the board is completely open to exploring all the options that are on the table; all the options that have been presented," says Holland.
Trustees are set to vote on the recommendation on April 5.
