Trustees with School District 53 have stated that the Ministry of Education is supportive of their decision a month ago to reject an offer by the Town of Osoyoos of more than $1.1 million in funding to try and keep Osoyoos Secondary School open (Richard McGuire photo).
School District 53 trustees say the Ministry of Education supports its recent decision to decline financial assistance from the Town of Osoyoos to keep Osoyoos Secondary School open.
“The deputy minister supports the board’s decision to not take the money,” said trustee Sam Hancheroff, referring to the offer of $1 million over three years to keep the Osoyoos high school open.
Trustees recently voted to close the school in order to address its structural deficit. Last week the board balanced its budget with a number of reductions to rid itself of a $900,000 deficit.
But in a surprise announcement on Tuesday, MLA Linda Larson committed $118,000 to the school board in hopes it would help avert the closure of OSS. The board has yet to review the additional funding or comment on whether it will save the school.
But many people have commented that $118,000 is not enough to keep the school open.
It was announced Wednesday by board chair Marieze Tarr that the $118,000 in funding was not a sufficient amount for the board to reconsider its position to close OSS.
In a letter to the board, Deputy Minister Dave Byng said the School Act does not permit a board of education to raise general operating funds through a referendum. Furthermore, it limits the uses of additional residential taxes to providing new programs and additional activities for students, but not for operating deficits.
Byng said the proposal from the Town of Osoyoos is not clear about the origin of the funding, adding the Town would need to rely on legal advice regarding how they raise these funds.
“It is prudent of the board to need assurances of continued funds before entertaining the mayor’s offer,” Byng said.
The deputy minister also noted the precedent this arrangement might create for other boards of education that are facing equally difficult choices.
Byng said the School Act says it is within the purview of a board to close a school, and the minister does not have the ability to overturn the board’s decision.
Superintendent of Schools Bev Young said Byng’s letter basically supports the board’s reasons from declining the town’s offer.
Tarr previously stated that it would not be illegal to accept the monies offered by the town, but it wouldn’t be consistent with the Act aimed at providing all students with equal access to education programs regardless of financial means.
Trustee Rob Zandee said this used to be a method of funding education years ago, but it’s no longer considered a good model.
However, if communities want to re-engage the province on municipal funding of schools, it’s a debate worth having, he said.
LYONEL DOHERTY
Special to the Times
