Mutchmor Public School

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September 5, 2000

School closure plan can be stopped...

Mutchmor needs your help!

Mutchmor Public School is one of nine elementary schools that were recommended for closure last week, in a report produced by planning staff with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).

The Mutchmor Save Our Schools (SOS) Committee is geared up and ready to fight for the school, and we're confident that we can persuade OCDSB trustees to keep Mutchmor open. But we're going to need your help, to make sure the excitement and anticipation that our children are experiencing in the schoolyards this week will be repeated for many Septembers to come.

The Board vote on school closures takes place October 23. The decision can and must be postponed. In the weeks ahead, Mutchmor SOS will be working to convince trustees that:

Mutchmor runs excellent JK-6 programs for regular English, special education, and congregated gifted students, all of which will be threatened if the school is closed.

First Avenue Public School has no room for the 200 or more Mutchmor students who would be sent there if the staff proposal were adopted. The gifted program would be overwhelmed by the larger student population at Hopewell Public School, and would have no guarantee of retaining the specialized teachers who make the program such a success.

Ottawa's population is expected to double in the next 10-12 years, and evidence is mounting that much of the growth will take place in downtown neighbourhoods. The high tech boom is moving so fast that the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton recently withdrew the population projections that formed the basis for the OCDSB staff recommendations. At very least, the Board should postpone school closures until new regional forecasts are available in January, 2001.

To help keep Mutchmor open, send an e-mail to <mlb@infolink.ca>, call the Mutchmor SOS info line at 594-8281, or fill out the following tear-off form and leave it in the box in the school office.

Name ________________________________________

Homephone ___________________________ E-mailaddress _____________________________

I can help with:

Neighbourhood canvassing distributing information to Bank St. merchants and other outlets

Planning rallies and public event
Research (other)

Lobbying trustees
(other)