School District 53’s board of trustees, who voted two weeks ago to close Osoyoos Secondary School, are defending their decision saying funding deficits due to declining enrolment forced them to make the tough decision. (Richard McGuire photo)
A school trustee who voted to close Osoyoos Secondary School didn’t want to face the alternative – major cuts in the classroom.
Rachel Allenbrand said she knew when she ran for trustee that some cuts would have to be made to address declining enrolments and funding shortfalls.
Ironically, Allenbrand chaired the Save Oliver Schools campaign in Oliver in 2011 when the board was considering closing Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary.
She said the reason for the potential closure at that time was due to the fear of losing funding protection, not a $1.1 million deficit.
“At that time I did clearly state that if Tuc-el-Nuit was to close I would be sending my three boys to Oliver Elementary School. I never had any intentions of leaving this district.”
Allenbrand said Tuc-el-Nuit parents love their school, but “at the end of the day it is just a building.”
As a parent, all she wants is for her boys to get a quality education – an education that will prepare them for their next steps in life.
“When I took office as trustee I knew that my mandate was not just for the community of Oliver but to provide quality education for all students district-wide.”
Allenbrand reiterated that without making the hard decision at the board level, students would be facing huge cuts inside their classrooms.
Oliver trustee Rob Zandee admitted that the vote was a very difficult time for the board.
He read through 530-plus pages of submissions and had many conversations with former teachers, parents and others.
“There were certainly some very good points and issues raised on both sides of the argument. It was not a decision any of us wanted to make, that is for sure.”
Despite the decision to close the high school, the district’s deficit will still result in some impacts to the classroom, Zandee said.
“This is the area that we really don’t want to have any impacts.”
The trustee said he couldn’t speak to the potential impacts of closing a school in the Osoyoos community. And he can’t say much about the idea expressed by numerous Osoyoos parents about establishing an independent school.
“I do know that private schools in B.C. take valuable education monies from the public school system, which is unfortunate.”
Board chair Marieze Tarr, who voted against the school closure, agreed it was a tough decision.
“It is never easy to embark on a consultation process that you know might end in school closure, but as you know due to declining enrolment and budget pressures we had no choice.”
Tarr said trustees are expected to stay true to their mandate of providing the best quality education for every student with existing resources from the Ministry of Education.
Trustee Sam Hancheroff said School District 53 has three high schools with a total enrolment of 900 students, but none of these schools are near their capacity.
He pointed out the board has requested increased funding, but noted the government’s funding model is based on student enrolment, which has been steadily decreasing.
“In the last four years we have struggled to make sure our budgets balance … the board is at a point where small cuts are no longer possible.”
Hancheroff said the board believes that combining the two secondary schools will provide the student population with greater choice of academic and fine arts courses and technical trade electives.
The trustee acknowledged that some Osoyoos parents are interested in establishing an independent school, but he maintains that the district’s public schools offer more courses with a great variety of electives.
Boundary Similkameen MLA Linda Larson said the trustees made a difficult decision, and people must respect the independence of the school board to do what it believes is best for students.
“Ultimately, the decision was made to give students the best education possible, and I have no hesitation in saying they will receive it at Southern Okanagan Secondary School, which is an outstanding institution with first-class teachers and administrators.”
Larson, who never attended the public consultation sessions in Osoyoos, acknowledged the deep connections people have to their schools.
“This has been an emotional, gut-wrenching process for the citizens of Osoyoos, but I am confident it will result in better educational outcomes for our students.”
The MLA noted the government is investing $5.6 billion in education this year and total education funding is up by $110 million at a time when enrolment has dropped by more than 70,000.
Final reading of the school closure bylaw will be read at the board office on April 27. The school will close on June 30.
Superintendent of Schools Bev Young said the objective now is to work with the administrative teams of OSS and SOSS to plan for the transition of students and staff, and to make it as welcoming as possible. “Schools will communicate with parents as plans unfold,” she said.
Young said trustees would discuss the future of the Osoyoos high school building at a later date.
She said they are unsure what, if anything, needs to be done at SOSS to accommodate the new students.
“From what I have witnessed and heard so far, the students at SOSS are already reaching out to welcome friends from Osoyoos.”
LYONEL DOHERTY
Special to the Times
