OCSB possibly buying Munster Elementary School as parent petition circulates, MPP Ghamari confirms

Cathy Smith Coote is one of nearly 800 parents impacted by Ottawa’s school bus driver shortage who are organizing and ridesharing through social media.

On Saturday, Sept. 9, a group of those parents will be protesting at a community barbeque (BBQ) held by Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari.

“I’m going to show up and protest—I would rather the money from that barbeque pay a bus driver,” said Smith Coote.

That’s an opinion shared by Cheri Nixon, mom and organizer of the protest. She says taxpayer money should be used to solve the shortage by paying drivers adequately.

“There’s so much bureaucracy we’re trying to figure out how do we untangle all of that red tape to actually get real solutions so that the kids can go to school,” Nixon told CityNews on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Ghamari is aware that a group of parents will be attending the community barbeque, and says that provincial funding has been provided.

The MPP added that the province plans on launching a third-party review on Ottawa school transportation funding.

“For the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), last year the funding was $46 million; this year the funding is $47 million.” Ghamari told The Sam Laprade Show on Sept. 8. “Eighty per cent of all reported daily school bus cancellations across the province have occurred in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB).”

Some parents attending the event will be circulating a petition to re-open Munster Elementary School, which would make school more accessible for students in the west-end neighbourhood. Ghamari is supportive of the Munster school petition, committing to present it to the Ontario legislature.

Ghamari confirmed with CityNews Ottawa that the OCSB has signaled an interest in possibly purchasing the Munster Elementary School.

“While no commitments have been made, they have informed me that they are interested in the possibility and they are going to start looking into it next week,” said Ghamari in an interview with CityNews Ottawa on Friday, Sept. 8. 

The MPP for Carleton noted that people will need to demonstrate a community interest in the school, and have an enrolment number of at least 100 students.

“There are a lot of young families that are moving out to rural Ottawa and looking to raise a family in rural Ottawa,” she added.

Munster Elementary School closed in 2015, when enrollment dropped below 100 students.

More information about the petition can be found here.