The Lambton-Kent District School Board expects there will need to be more school closures in the future, even though the province isn’t allowing any right now.
The administrators recently released the yearly school accommodation report.
Right now, Lambton-Kent public schools are at about 72 per cent capacity on average. The provincial average is 86.4 per cent.
By 2027, that is expected to drop to 70.87 per cent, even with the closure of South Plympton and a Chatham elementary school.
A number of Central Lambton schools will fall below the 70 per cent capacity mark by 2020 including Brigden, Brooke Central, Dawn-Euphemia and Lambton Centennial.
LCCVI is expected to be at 71 per cent capacity by 2020. The provincial average now is 79 per cent.
Compounding the problem of declining enrolment, the report says, is reductions in provincial grants. Administrators expect to lose $4.04 million a year after the province made changes to some of its special funding.
Even though the province has promised more funding for remote and rural schools, under the new guidelines, only 11 elementary schools will receive extra funding and just three secondary schools will be eligible. That compares to 47 elementary and 12 secondary schools now.
The accommodation review still suggests the Dawn-Euphemia School could be closed with students being relocated across Central Lambton and North Kent. But a date to start a review has yet to be set.