Why is the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) contemplating closing both its existing vocational schools?
The public board is currently nearing the end of a   lengthy process that could see six schools closed across the city and possibly one new high school built south of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway.
Closing a school is about the most difficult task a school board can undertake. Most schools also serve as  major hubs for the communities they serve.
As such, most residents have close tries to their community schools and resist any efforts to close them. The  end result is usually a long, bitter and emotional process.
Earlier this year, the board established three school closure committees, north Hamilton, lower Hamilton and Dundas and Ancaster, to garner public input and involve the community in making final recommendations for school trustees to consider.
Along the way, the committees have encountered a few bumpy roads, but in our opinion, none more bumpier than what to do with Hamilton’s two vocational schools – Mountain, on Hamilton Mountain, and Parkview, in lower Hamilton.
Both vocational schools are old and currently half empty. Mountain has 206 students and a capacity of 525 students. Parkview has 274 students and a capacity of 546 students.
The current thinking is to close both Mountain and Parkview closed.

A school board staff plan would see all students being integrated into their home-area schools with specialized supports and programs available.
In response, the north closure committee proposed relocating Parkview to an annex at a new public high school in the lower city.
Neither plan has been received well by the vocational students, their parents and teachers. All have warned both plans would fail and boost dropout rates among high-risk students, who feel more comfortable and engaged in the vocational schools.
The public meetings have been filled with emotional pleas from students, parents and teachers to save the vocational schools.
They fear vocational students will struggle in a “normal” school setting.
Not every student is cut out for the “normal” school setting. For these students, vocational schools provide an educational alternative without making them feel like second-class students.
Paula Bertollo, a teacher with 25 years of teaching at-risk students, told one public meeting past experiments at integration have failed  and most school boards are moving in the opposite direction and opening more vocational schools.
“Are we going to repeat history again and how many kids are we going to lose by the time that we go around in a great big circle again only to find by Grade 11 we’re going to have a 50 per cent drop out again?” she warned.
Yet, her warning and others appear to be falling on deaf ears.
We seem to be heading towards finding the best accommodation solution for the board rather than finding the best solution  for the students.
The board appears to be ready to gamble the future of hundreds of high-risk students based on the recommendations of their staff rather than heed the warnings of those who will be affected the most by their  decision. We urge to the board to reconsider before it is too late.