Parents voiced their concerns at a special EMSB meeting Wednesday night, with the focus on Westmount Park elementary school closing for renovations and where those students will move.

In October, the English Montreal School Board council voted in favour of undergoing a major renovation project at Westmount Park over two years, slated to cost about $12.5 million. The renovations would force the 700 students to go to class elsewhere.

If the plan is approved, half of the students at that school (those that live south of Highway 20) will move to St. John Bosco in Ville Emard, which has been empty since the school closed in 2012 due to declining enrolment.

The other half (those that live north of Highway 20) will move to Marymount Academy in NDG.

The board has reassured parents that the same services will be available. Ultimately, according to the EMSB, the students will be on two different campuses with the same meal plans, bus services and other activities.

'We've been doing our part'

Still, there are concerns, in part from parents of students at Marymount.

The school has been cohabitating with Centennial for several years – with that to end in June 2019 – and parents say Marymount has done its part in sharing facilities.

“We think there are still more options they could look at,” Rebecka Douglas, who is the parent of a Grade 9 student at Marymount and serves on its governing board.

Douglas said the cohabitation has meant sharing facilities like the gym, sports and other activities have to be cut back to accommodate everyone.

“They could bus them to another school, or they could put them at James Lyng. We’re pretty sure there are other solutions than putting them at Marymount Academy.”

EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen said despite any concerns, the closure is absolutely necessary.

“There is nothing negative about this. First and foremost, Westmount Park elementary is remaining intact. They are going to be split into two campuses for the year, but they'll be K-6.and after two years, they are going to go into basically a really refurbished building. The building is over 100 years old. It can't sustain a student population anymore,” he said.

Parent Patsy Smith said she hoped the EMSB would look at other options than forcing the students at Marymount to cohabitate yet again.

“I think it’s time for us to discuss this and find other solutions,” she said. “I think we’ve been doing our part.”

New French school in NDG?

The EMSB also has potential plans to open a new school in NDG.

“As for the other announcement that we hope to decide tonight, that is to open a brand-new school in NDG because we are suffering from overpopulation. This is completely positive,” he added.

After hearing concerns from parents, commissioners will consult and make a final decision on Jan. 16.