Saint John mayor-elect Ivan Court wants to help fight a recommendation to close two schools in the city's north end.

"This will be a backwards step when we're trying to fix up neighbourhoods … these schools play a dominant role and will play a dominant role in the future," Court said Friday.

Court said he'll be speaking with the school district and the superintendent to further discuss their recommendations to close Lorne Middle School and Hazen White–St. Francis School before they are presented to Education Minister Kelly Lamrock.

"To take back a community takes a generation," Court said. "The community needs a school."

At a School District 8 council meeting on Wednesday, the council put forward a motion calling for public consultation for the restructuring of the city's elementary and middle schools. Hazen White-St. Francis serves students in kindergarten through Grade 8.

The students attending the two schools in the low-income neighbourhoods would be transferred to Princess Elizabeth School and Millidgeville North Middle School for September 2009.

'Ideal spot for middle school students'

"We have a beautiful spot out here in Millidgeville, a building designed for high school students. The configuration of this property out here and the addition of fields presents an ideal spot for middle school students," said John MacKenzie, chair of the district education council.

If the changes are approved when presented to Lamrock, they could help resolve a number of issues the school district is experiencing, MacKenzie said.

Many parents are currently concerned about their children attending school at Lorne because of the crime rate in the area, MacKenzie said. Enrolment rates are also making it hard to justify keeping the schools open when they aren't full, he said.

But new city councillor Donnie Snook said that closing the schools in the troubled neighbourhoods may only make things worse for the people already living there.

"These are huge losses. I hope somebody is being very careful in what they are proposing when it comes to taking our facilities that are the heart and soul of what I think are the strength of our …neighbourhoods," Snook said.