WINNIPEG (CBC) - Manitoba's education minister says proposed legislation will, indeed, keep school boards in the province from closing schools, even though some division officials are moving forward with plans for the closures.

Several school boards are continuing to review schools for closing even though Manitoba's NDP government introduced amendments to the Public Schools Act last month that would allow the closure of schools only in exceptional circumstances and with the minister's approval.

Some division officials say they're hoping the closures they have in mind will meet the criteria required for the minister to give his approval.

Others have said they hope to get the schools closed before the bill is passed and receives royal assent.

Education Minister Peter Bjornson told CBC News on Thursday that he expects the bill will become law in June, and no division working on a closure now will be able to squeak it in under the wire.

The proposed legislation states that only closures that were decided before January 2007 will be allowed to proceed, Bjornson said, adding that he would intervene in all other cases.

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Details of the strengthening of local schools act

Bill 28, which amends the Public Schools Act, prevents the province's school boards from closing a school except with approval of the education minister.

Such approval may be given, according to the bill, if the school board demonstrates to the minister's satisfaction one of the following:

- The closure is the result of a consolidation of schools within the area or community;

- There is a consensus among the parents and residents of the area served by the school that the school should be closed.

- It is no longer feasible to keep the school open because of declining enrolment and, despite having made reasonable efforts, the board has been unable to expand the use of the school building for appropriate community purposes.

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"The legislation would trump any decisions that are made at this time to close schools," Bjornson said.

"The likelihood of any school closing in the immediate future - it's highly unlikely that that would be the case. Ultimately, the final arbiter for closure is the minister and, as I said, I introduced this legislation to keep schools open."

The St. James-Assiniboia School Division is one division carrying on with closure plans. The board plans to hold several meetings later this month on the future of the Hedges and Ness middle schools, located less than two kilometres apart in Winnipeg's far west end.

Hedges has only 190 students while Ness has 303 - far below capacity for each.

School board chair Bruce Alexander said the division has received nothing official about how the new legislation would affect its plans to close the two schools.

"We have a copy of Bill 28, but we have no directive that's particular to what we're doing in St. James Assiniboia," he said.

Alexander is waiting to see what specific criteria will be required for school closures.

In the meantime, he's gathering information on the two schools that might be needed, "so that we would have it ready if there is an opportunity to have something like this approved."

Once it receives official word from the province, Alexander says the division will follow the government's rules.

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