The international business community should adopt schools to help the Bermuda Government address failing public primary infrastructure, according to parents speaking at a consultation meeting last night.

More than 200 people turned out to the meeting at CedarBridge Academy — one of several being staged to gather feedback from parents over the school reorganisation [Score] report which outlines the potential closure and consolidation of public primary schools.

“There is a lot of money in Bermuda,” said one woman in the audience. “There is just not enough money for what everyone agrees on.

“I respect international business. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t making good money and we should expect something in return — if not money, then resources.”

Last night’s meetings mainly dealt with the scenarios for the central zone which includes the closure of Gilbert Institute, the only primary school with services for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Programmes for children with special needs was a topic raised repeatedly. The mother of a child with hydrocephalus took to the podium with tears in her eyes telling the minister how her child had faced many challenges but was finally working his way through them. Moving him to a larger school now would have a negative impact.

“Now he feels comfortable at Heron Bay [a school in the western zone earmarked for potential closure]. He can’t handle large at the moment,” she said as friends comforted her.

One suggestion that solicited a lively response from the audience was slashing the budget for Bermuda’s prisoners and reallocating it to education. “Half of them [prisoners] live better than us,” the woman stressed.

One woman suggested schools charge parents an administration fee per child per year to raise funds for school supplies and maintenance to which another in the audience shouted: “We are already paying them!”

The question of staff termination was raised as an alternative option to closure.

The lack of data on academic performance in the report was raised, as it has been in all the meetings, as well as the lack of financial data. “You can’t make a financial decision without the financial data,” one man said.

Mr Scott said that all the financials are in the 2015/16 budget book yet highlighted the complexity of the issue as the funding straddles several ministries. The reason many schools were deemed overutilised, one parent pointed out, was the 40 square foot classroom space deemed necessary for every child. “None of the schools has enough space going by these standards,” one said.

“We don’t accept it as an appropriate standard.”

One young student bravely took to the microphone to tell Mr Scott: “I think Prospect Primary shoudn’t be closed because it has a nice group of teachers and a nice group of students. I am learning and growing and I love my new school.”

A woman in the audience pointed out that the main reason for the under and overutilisation of our schools was due to the perception that some schools were better than others.

Mr Scott has repeatedly said that in light of the Score report he wanted to create equity across all of Bermuda’s schools to remove this perception.

Finally, many claimed the meetings being held around the island did not constitute consultation as there had been no mention of a reconvening before the minister made a final decision.