Dear Editor:
Too often, wrong decisions are made by a board – any board, school or otherwise – based on the politics of the board members of that particular time.
Then, board members change and a few years later, the new members are of a different mindset and the previous decisions are no longer supported, but, unfortunately, can’t be reversed.
This is why I encouraged the current board of trustees with School District 53 to now look at the current situation logically, unbiased and most of all, with an eye towards the future.
History shows school enrolment goes on a 20 to 25-year cycle or curve. Therefore, we can be assured enrolment will go up again in future years.
So please look to the future.
I would hesitate to sell any school now. Rather, try to lease the space as we will need these facilities when enrolment rises again.
But, more importantly, don’t just think what your decision will result in now, but what will it do in the long term future?
I have noticed many thoughtful and innovative suggestions for the board in a particular Letter to the Editor that appeared on Page 8 in the March 2 edition of the Osoyoos Times.
I hope the writers of all letters to the newspaper address and send them to the trustees so these letters are received, read, replied to and acted upon.
In closing, I suggest the trustees solve the problem of financial shortfalls with the No. 1 goal of ensuring no student is displaced from their community for all the reasons already presented before you.
Once you establish this goal, you can asked the district superintendent to find the solution for you within this one parameter, which is keeping each student in their own community as they are now.
Trustees are not expected to have the expertise and experience to find solutions to huge problems like this.
Your superintendent has the education, experience, expertise and the advantage of being able to draw on innovative ideas from her counterparts in other school districts.
If the writer of the letter to the paper I mentioned before can come up with such workable solutions she has witnessed in another school district, our superintendent, Bev Young, has the avenues open to her to research and come up with something that works in our district.
Any decisions must be made maintaining the top priority set by trustees to not displace any student from their own community.
If anyone wishes to read by entire letter presented during last Tuesday’s community forum at the Sonora Community Centre, they can contact me at 250-495-6709.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to write about this very important issue in our community.
Sharon Gesce
Osoyoos, B.C.
