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“In the supervised boards, we’ve said yes, you have to look at all the options,” Calandra said on ” Friday when asked about the issue. 

“All options have to be on the table, and that might include some of the under-utilized schools as well,” he said, adding that it also “includes the real estate that has been surplus, but not utilized, in some cases, well over 10 years. It really is just about putting more money back into the classroom.”

Over the years, the extra costs of keeping small schools open and staffed has been a drain on board resources. The É«É«À² Catholic board alone estimates the costs at more than $10 million annually. 

“The current situation is one of the government’s own making,” said Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

Both the É«É«À² public and Catholic boards are currently under provincial supervision, along with the Ottawa public board, Dufferin-Peel Catholic and the Thames Valley public.

The Ford government, now in its third term, ushered in the moratorium shortly after it was first elected, accusing the previous Liberal government of closing 600 schools and causing turmoil in communities and upset among affected families. 

And while the $30.3 billion it now spends on elementary and secondary education overall is the highest it’s been, boards have said it does not cover their actual costs — and costly small schools are in part to blame for their deficits. 

“We have long called for the province to lift the moratorium on school consolidations and introduce clear, updated guidelines that ensure these decisions are made following a process that is transparent, and accountable to the students and parents involved,” said Woodcock.

“Through five ministers of education, the province has failed to act on this issue, while at the same time attempting to place the blame on school boards.”

Woodcock said if any schools are to be shut down in supervised boards, “the previous guidelines laid out timelines and required multiple public meetings before any decision on a school closure or consolidation was made. That type of public input is essential ... these decisions must never be made by ministerial decree.”

The É«É«À² public board has asked “multiple times” to be exempt from the moratorium, said Trustee Dan MacLean, “and for whatever reason, there’s never any clear reason why we can’t.

“We think the public would find it surprising that you have to beg a Conservative government permission to save taxpayer money.”

According to a report by the province’s auditor general on the É«É«À² public board’s finances, in 2022-23 it spent anywhere from $8,376 to $18,358 per student annually in elementary schools with 200 or fewer students, compared to $5,930 to $12,135 for those in schools of more than 400. 

In high schools with 800 or fewer students, the cost per student was $7,673 to $18,346 per student, and from $6,817 to $10,229 in those with more than 1,000.   

Closing schools “can be difficult and emotional for students, families and staff, however, they are often necessary to ensure the academic success of students and the long-term financial stability of the school district while responding to natural shifts in demographics over time,” said the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association in an earlier statement, urging an end to the ban.

”... The current situation has created unsustainable funding deficits, as it costs the same to clean, heat, maintain and keep the lights on in a school whether it is half empty or full.”

Markus de Domenico, chair of the É«É«À² Catholic District School Board, said apart from the cost, under-enrolled schools don’t serve students well.

“Five grade 8s and four grade 7s — it means they don’t have athletics, they don’t have drama,” he said. “Schools are not built for 85 kids. You want a school community of hundreds of them.”