Closing east-side schools, Opening west-side schools

From the comments to the Survey post:

"Is it true the school board is actually building a new school on the west side? What are we parents being taken for, a bunch of fools? I, for one, am outraged that the school board has told us the whole story". - Anonymous comment

My response:
Yes, it appears to be true. 20% of east side students are leaving their catchment (compared to 3.5% for west side kids). Most are going to the west side where they perceive the educational experience to be better (not actually true - math marks are about the same and literacy is best in the middle income neighbourhoods). So, we are building schools on the west side and closing down schools on the east side to accommodate those who want be schooled across town. Is this a fair use of our tax dollars, or fair to the east side neighbourhoods that are losing the hearts of their communities?
See the article for additional background: http://www.straight.com/article-70975/student-exodus-threatens-east-side-schools