City public high schools are safe from closure for at least another two years.

But falling enrolment means all but three of Hamilton's 18 public high schools will be under close scrutiny by committees reviewing school closures.

Those groups, originally slated to begin work next month, will now start in January.

A final report, originally expected this December, is now not due until January 2012.

The delay comes after school trustees decided to wait until after this fall's municipal election so those tough decisions do not become an election issue.

"By starting in January 2011, this will be an opportunity for the new board of trustees to be involved in the process right from the beginning," said school board chairperson Jessica Brennan.

But east Mountain trustee Laura Peddle says there's an urgent need to begin work immediately after the Oct. 25 election.

"We're waiting too long," she said. "The right thing is, we have to close schools. It's logical and it has to happen because you are hurting all kids if you don't."

Peddle said she would rather the work was done from November 2010 to June 2011 because it will be too difficult to engage parents and students for two school years.

Hamilton's public high schools are considered 87 per cent full, with 2,600 extra pupil spaces for which the school board does not get funding from the province.

Student enrolment is expected to decline sharply during the next 10 years with surplus student spots predicted to reach 6,000.

"It's not a very efficient way to run the school board business," said Peddle. "We knew it was an issue and it's getting worse as each year goes by."

But Brennan notes the delay means more time to absorb a significant report on the future of Hamilton's public high schools that has been in the works for more than a year. That report is expected in April or May.

"Some of us felt if we didn't have that information ... that we'd be missing a piece."

Saltfleet District in Stoney Creek, Waterdown District in Waterdown and Westmount Secondary on the Mountain are the only public high schools exempt from the review because their student enrolment is over capacity.

The board approved the new timeline earlier this week at a committee level meeting, but the decision goes for final approval on March 22.

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