Annoyed by the suggestion of parents who have accused trustees of not physically touring the schools before making their decision June 10 on the fate of Niagara-on-the-Lake's schools, Welland trustee Larry Lemelin angrily said during a District School Board of Niagara meeting Tuesday night that he and NOTL Trustee Lynn Campbell have toured every school property in town.

"We have walked each yard and examined each building," Lemelin said after hearing from nine delegations regarding the accommodation review. "We're not the planning department, we don't have the skills. But we went, walked and looked. We even counted the fence posts to see how wide and deep the schools are. Yes, we did tour the properties. We just didn't tour them when the students were there because we didn't want to interfere. We got a physical sense of them so we can form our opinions."

About 60 people from the community, most wearing Trojan Army t-shirts, were in attendance at the May 13 school board meeting. It was the second to last chance residents had to express their concerns before the June 10 vote.

Subjects of delegations made that night ranged from the benefits of smaller schools, busing and the need for a high school in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Ken Leithwood, a representative from the Ontario Institute For Studies in Education, talked about the benefits of smaller schools. Leithwood said students who traditionally struggle at school or who come from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds, would benefit from smaller schools.

Leithwood said studies have concluded that small schools are more cost efficient and effective.

Leithwood said larger schools can be beneficial as well.

"Some evidence recommends larger schools for nurturing the achievement of academically successful senior high school students," he said.

Bill Morrison, representing the Friends of Niagara District Secondary School, said parents are fired up about the removal of programs from schools. Because there's a lack of programs at NDSS, students cannot have balanced education, he said.

"No more teachers, no more books, is that how it goes?" Morrison said. "Their futures are debated. For the district school board to allow that to happen, shame on you."

Heather Cochrane, representing Save Our School, said the proposed campus-style site on the NDSS site proposed by another community group was tedious, stating that the concept was initially rejected during the Accommodation Review process.

"We're provided with the same salad, just different dressing," Cochrane said.

"They assume that if you located all students on the same campus that they would automatically attend the high school. This theory has been proven wrong as 300 students leave to attend schools outside Niagara-on-the-Lake boundaries."

Cochrane said the key to NDSS surviving is through providing quality programming.

Parent Elizabeth Lamb discussed the hardship of increased busing in town should NDSS close. Lamb said students can suffer from asthma, increased respiratory infections, increased school day absences and disconnect from interest in learning.

"Senior staff care very little about the welfare of our children," Lamb said. "The value of children's time should be considered over school closures and education. They are the ones enduring the long bus rides. Policies should take into account the real lives of real people. Any solution with more busing is unreasonable and unacceptable."

The next DSBN meeting regarding the accommodation review is May 26 at 6 p.m. at the school board's main office in St. Catharines.