In 2003, considerable controversy arose when the Waterloo Region District School Board was selecting a high school to close, in order to open a new school in the southwest end of Kitchener (this was required under the provincial funding model of the time). A large public outcry began when the staff report recommended the closure of KCI, along with Southwood Secondary School. Although the school was plagued with many heating, plumbing and electrical problems due to its age, sentimentality and emotions won the day and some repairs and renovations were decided upon. Critics of this proposal noted that KCI had a significant history and a unique culture among secondary schools in Kitchener and Waterloo, partly due to the wide variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds among its students. Regardless of the enormous job and associated costs, further analysis of the financial situation by trustees, eliminated the need for a Kitchener school closure.