This petition calls on the Edmonton Public School Board to implement a moratorium on school closures, and to then initiate a multi-stakeholder process to develop acceptable solutions to its financial pressures.

We the undersigned call upon the Edmonton Public School Board to adopt a moratorium on further school closures.

Closures result in hardships faced by students and their families.  They also hurt communities and property values, as residents with children face a strong incentive to move out of neighbourhoods without schools.  Maintaining the buildings, without childrens' schooling, does not solve these problems.

We understand that the Board faces financial pressures; however, school closures are not an acceptable solution.

We call on the Board to adopt a moratorium immediately, and then to initiate a process that engages the municipal and provincial governments, and other stakeholders, to develop acceptable solutions.

Yours truly,