Dear Editor:

There is a better course of action for the trustees with School District 53 (SD53) to take than to close Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) and move the students from Osoyoos Elementary School  to the secondary school.

After viewing a number of scenarios made available by district’s Facilities Committee, senior administration has accepted the committee’s recommendation to close OSS and bus local secondary students (approximately 225 students) to Southern Okanagan Secondary School (SOSS) in Oliver.

Another option being strongly considered is to then move the students from Osoyoos Elementary School to the secondary school in Osoyoos.

All of these considerations are being made in an attempt to battle a projected budget deficit of  $1.1 million dollars for the 2016-17 school year.

The main rationale for this course of action is to increase the class sizes and better utilize space at SOSS.

By combining the students  from Oliver and Osoyoos at  SOSS, the school district can increase class sizes and reduce the number of staff needed,  thus reducing the projected  deficit.

By moving students from Osoyoos Elementary School to OSS and closing the high school, there would be additional savings.

The school district has rationalized that with fewer secondary teaching staff and maintenance costs drastically reduced once the elementary school is moved to OSS, a balance budget can be achieved.

Here is a better option.

What the School District wants to accomplish is a higher class-size ratio at the secondary level.

So instead of teaching a class of 10 students at OSS and another 10 students at SOSS in the same subject, why not bus students to make for a class of 20?

This would save one block of teaching time every time this happened.

In theory, if this can be arranged with each subject affected, it would save the costs of one teacher’s salary.

The more often this occurs, the more money will be saved.

The school district would also be able to offer students a greater selection of courses.

I ask why are we considering busing all these 225 students from Osoyoos and Oliver for almost 190 days each school year?

The class size problem at OSS is not in the basic subjects such as English, Social Studies, Physical Education,  Mathematics  and Science at the Grade 8, 9 and 10 level.  It is basically at the Grade 11 and 12 level and partially in the specialty areas like Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Calculus,  English, French, English Literature,  History, Music, Technology, Industrial Education and Geography.

There is simply no need to make students in Grades 8, 9 and 10 travel from either secondary school.

The problem mainly occurs in offering specialty subjects at the  Grade 11 and 12 level.

The cost of providing busing for just Grade 11 and 12 students would be far less than half of the board’s proposal to bus all OSS students.

And the cost to bus Grade 11 and 12 students between Osoyoos and Oliver would cost exactly the same.

If both OSS and SOSS operated under one timetable and both schools had a four day week and  partial busing for just Grade 11 and 12 students, it would solve the board’s deficit problem.

Of course, that is if the goal is to save all schools in the district from being closed and maximizing class sizes at the secondary school level and not just to better utilize SOSS.

What I have proposed would solve the current financial and enrolment problems for a period of time or until the school population increases.

If  only Grade 11 and 12 OSS students were transported two days a week to Oliver and the SOSS Grade 11 and 12 students were transported to Osoyoos the alternate two days a week, the district could maximize most of the class size problems at both secondary schools and offer a greater variety of courses.

For example, for Biology and Chemistry,  the schools would see the Oliver students coming  to OSS  and Physics and English Literature 12 students from Osoyoos going to SOSS.

This would maximize all class size issues at both schools, allow for greater programming and be an equal burden to each community.

By having both secondary schools on a four day week, students from OSS in specialty classes could be transported to SOSS on Tuesday and Thursday and the students from SOSS in other special areas could be transported to OSS on Monday and Wednesday.

Both schools would be closed on Friday. Both schools could then offer a wider range of programs, while still maintaining their own identity and extracurricular activities.

Since the cost of busing students back and forth between both high schools would be significant, it would greatly help the school board achieve its financial targets.

A four-day school week at both schools would save two days of operational costs.

By only busing Grade 11 and 12 students, the board would save 75 per cent of transportation costs from their original estimates.

This alternative has so many benefits over the board’s current proposal that I truly hope they will consider it.

The best part is that OSS would not have to be closed, Grade 11 and 12 students at both schools would only have to travel by bus twice a week and both schools would share the deficit budget, while maintaining their own separate identity.

With the same timetable in both secondary schools, the possibilities of  administrative savings also exists.

Most Grade 11 and 12 students have a study block build into their timetables.

If the study period is used to ride the bus, this would provide an excellent time to do homework and would shorten their school day.

Extensive research has shown the majority of secondary school students prefer and excel when offered a four-day week.

If offers more leisure time, a greater opportunity for extracurricular activities, more time for work experience, and  it doesn’t negatively affect their studies.

Research also shows that elementary students and their parents are negatively affected by a four day week and students at this stage should not be subjected to it.

The possibility to take advantage of other specialty programs offered at OSS – including the golf and hockey academies, music and drama program – would also be kept in place.

I hope these suggestions are considered by the trustees before any final decision is rendered.

These are much better options than closing the high school in Osoyoos.

Harold Cox

Osoyoos, B.C.