Dear Editor:
Once again, I am left bewildered with the “thinking” of the trustees on the Board of Education in School District 53 (South Okanagan-Similkameen)
The board chair has communicated that accepting more than $1 million in funding from the Town of Osoyoos would create ‘have’ and ‘have not’ schools.
Does that mean that all eight schools currently open in the district are all equal in terms of what the have and have not?
Nice try, but I don’t think so.
In January, the trustees claimed that they cannot close Cawston Primary because it would trigger a loss of a $500,000 grant.
Ministry of Education documents verify this grant as being from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
The trustees also reported that they receive a small community grant for the elementary school in Okanagan Falls.
The trustees used these grants as justification for not closing these schools.
If the trustees cannot accept a grant from the Town of Osoyoos to keep OSS open, then how can they accept these other grants to keep these other schools open?
The trustees can’t have it both ways.
It will be interesting to see the trustee’s balanced budget for 2016/17.
They claim that they face a $1.1 million deficit. Their data shows that closing OSS will only save $387,000.
So, that means they still have to cut at least $712,700 from the operating budget this year.
They will have to do this while making sure that the school in Keremeos has all of the same educational offerings as Southern Okanagan Secondary School in terms of advanced placement math and science, languages, applied leaning, arts, computer science, trades and extra curricular programs in comparable learning environments.
After all, the trustees are great believers in public education as the ‘great equalizer’ where no matter what your postal code is, you receive the same quality of education.
They wouldn’t dare allow Oliver to be a ‘have’ community and Keremeos to be “a have not’ community.
Stay strong Osoyoos! Hold these trustees accountable.
Wayne Rubner
Vancouver B.C.
