Dear Editor:
One of our local service groups has an amazing platform that is decades old about how they make decisions based on what is right and what is wrong.
I’d like to introduce the platform to our School District 53 trustees and Osoyoos residents and apply it to this huge decision we are facing relating to possibly closing one of our schools here in Osoyoos.
The problem with the proposal before us is there is a lot of missing information and incomplete calculations.
From the financial shortfalls in the busing budget to the suggestion that this is the best solution for our kids, there are multiple empty spaces in the entire proposal being considered.
If there are even a few things in the final documents presented to the public that are not the truth then we must assume that the entirety of the proposal is jeopardized.
I ask, as do all Rotary Club members, is this proposal fair to all concerned?
The answer to this question seems obvious, but let’s state the obvious.
It is not fair to our children as the majority have already suffered anxiety from the idea of losing their school.
The idea that the older kids will lose two-plus hours per day in travel where they could be physically active or working towards careers in local businesses is in itself unfair.
It is not fair to their future aspirations as long hours travelling back and forth to school takes away from passions such as hockey, golf, curling, farming, retail, tourism, restaurant and even automotive fields.
The children will suffer from losing the close relationships that have been formed with this school’s close-knit learning environment.
Some will choose to simply drop out of school.
The parents involved will suffer from not having their kids home on time from school, from not having the time to teach kids about chores, to having kids that are less active experiencing issues like depression.
Every parent that has a child bused to Oliver will experience a negative change in their life.
Our children will spend less time with their parents and, therefore, learn fewer life lessons from them.
We will have to get up over an hour earlier to get our children ready for school and if a teenage student has a personal problem in the morning, the parent will have to find a ride for that child and often will result in an absent day if no solution is found.
This is not fair to local parents.
It is again obvious this would be a terrible blow to community as we would lose families that would choose different towns to reside in to allow for simpler education for their kids.
Instead of attracting new middle-aged families to our community, we would most likely deter them from choosing Osoyoos as their home.
There are many activities that teenagers are involved in that may vanish if our high school closes.
This is not fair to our community.
If there’s no high school, this will mean a loss of numerous jobs, so this one is a no brainer as it’s obvious any school closure would result in detrimental results for current teachers and school district employees.
A decision to close any school in Osoyoos will not build goodwill between the school board and local children, parents, business people, town council and school staff.
This decision will show there is no goodwill on the part of the school board. It will divide the school board administration, the trustees as well as our communities.
Voting to close a school will not build goodwill and better friendships.
We’ve already covered in depth that closing a school would not benefit our kids.
The parents would have no benefit from our kids being shipped around by bus and having less time to spend with our children.
The risk of vehicular accidents is also a huge factor. The Osoyoos community would have huge losses with no benefits.
The school employees would lose jobs and see zero benefit.
With families already threatening to leave the district combined with the numerous students who will choose the option of home schooling, there will be a decline in enrolment the minute a school is closed.
This will equate to less funding from the government. It will make a tough financial situation even harder.
The credibility of the board will be lost by at least the 3,800 Osoyoos residents who have signed the petition urging trustees to keep all schools open
This will make re-election of current trustees a very difficult task.
In conclusion, no one involved will benefit from a school closure.
This simple test makes it very apparent that a school closure of any kind would be a failure and should not happen.
Thank you.
J.F. Launier
Osoyoos, B.C.
