Town of Osoyoos council is proving they not only talked the talk, but are walking the walk when it comes to ensuring the Ministry of Education will come through with its promise to provide a new and adequate funding model for rural education in B.C.
During Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, council approved sending a detailed letter to the Ministry of Education and new Rural Education Secretary – who happens to be local MLA Linda Larson – providing suggestions relating to rural education.
The province has, as promised, undertaken what they promise will be a thorough review of the current funding model and practices and policies relating to rural education in this province.
What became evidently clear over the first six months of 2016 – when it looked inevitable that Osoyoos Secondary School was going to close after four trustees with no ties to this community voted to close it permanently – is that funding for rural schools can’t be looked at the same way as urban schools.
If trustees vote to close a school in Vancouver, as also happened in 2016, it ruffles feathers and causes endless anxiety and anger amongst parents and students.
But the reality is those same students can find a new school a few blocks away and won’t have their lives altered forever.
That’s not the case in small rural communities like Osoyoos, where closing the only high school would have had devastating social and economic impacts for generations to come.
Only days before OSS was scheduled to close, the province came through with $500,000 in funding through the establishment of the Rural Education Enhancement Fund (REEF).
Not only was OSS saved, but so were numerous other rural schools across B.C.
Town council has done a great job ensuring the serious issues facing rural schools won’t be forgotten.
Not only have they formed a committee to work directly alongside senior administration with School District 53, but they are ensuring Town leaders will be involved in forming policy and changing the funding formula for rural schools moving forward.
A member of Osoyoos town council has attended every single SD 53 board meeting over the past several months to ensure key decision aren’t being made behind closed doors.
We commend town council for providing the leadership and commitment necessary to ensure the current system is changing and the Ministry of Education will keep its promise to provide a new and more sensible funding model to rural schools in small towns across this province.
Many of the recommendations made in the letter that will be sent to Larson and Minister of Education Mike Bernier are outstanding and would ensure that the debacle that resulted in OSS almost closing can’t be repeated in the future.
It’s going to take a different funding model that relies far less on per student funding to ensure rural schools can not only remain open, but provide an outstanding quality of education to everyone.
The system that allowed trustees from other towns to vote to close a high school that would have negatively affected the lives of hundreds of families must also be changed.
We have confidence that Larson and Bernier are listening and will come up with solutions that are needed sooner rather than later.
