Dear Editor:

After attending the School District 53 meeting at Osoyoos Secondary School on Feb. 9, I feel it necessary to appeal to the school trustees to re-think the decision to close one of the Osoyoos schools.

The school board and all of our communities need to be creative in identifying strategies that will benefit all students.

Public consultation much earlier in the process of balancing the school board’s budget would have been helpful.

That being said, we must all look for positive input to reach the goal – which I believe is to provide a good education within the budget, for all students in SD 53.

It has been my experience that when you engage stakeholders, productive energy and great ideas can be generated.

The largest issue appears to be the over-building of classroom space at Southern Okanagan Secondary School (SOSS).

Other issues include declining enrolments and maintenance costs.

What philosophies should be used to make decisions?

  • Make the best decisions for all concerned
  • Utilize the space available (provincial mandate)
  • Offer “ideal” education in one town and bus other students
  • Take from one area to improve another (selling Osoyoos Elementary)
  • One school has caused the largest deficit so they should bear the brunt of resolving the situation
  • Divide and conquer, fear of future school closures in other towns
  • As stewards of communities, keep towns and villages alive and prosperous
  • Perhaps no one will have an ideal education but everyone will be offered a good education

School Board trustees were elected to represent their communities, but must look at the whole picture.

If the whole picture is not being presented to you then you must find it. Also think about what will likely happen next.

The deficit will not be decreasing, as some Osoyoos kids drop out of school, families move away to find a community that has schools and new families choose not to locate in a town that doesn’t have Grade 1-12 schools.

Which schools are next on the chopping block?

If it is Okanagan Falls, will anyone speak up for you, or Cawston, or Keremeos?

There needs to be a sustainable plan for each community rather than Osoyoos is expendable this year and somewhere else will be expendable next year.

By agreeing and voting to close an Osoyoos school, trustees are going down the path of “better you than me”- with no long-term solution to the deficit.

Your time for school closure may come as soon as the next budget year.

Each community should look after empty classroom space with creativeness, using the configuration of their own town before reaching for students from elsewhere.

Think of the school division principles.

Somehow a large mistake was made when Southern Okanagan Secondary School (SOSS) was rebuilt “excluding the tech and music buildings” in the classroom space.

Now there is a problem with too many seats for the number of students. Placing all of the Oliver students in two perfectly-positioned, adjacent schools could solve that problem. Oliver could embrace the idea of having a large school, with two buildings; one large campus with both buildings being used to optimal levels.

Yes, Grades 1–12, (or any configuration of grades) can be housed in one building. Yes, early childhood classes may have to find other space, or perhaps a portable building.

It can work and work well.

I have previously lived in a town that had a school population of less than 400 students K-12. The school had Grades 1-12 in one building, no separating wings, and kindergarten in a portable classroom.

It worked very well.

Innovative alterations included staggered recess, staggered lunch bells, Grade 11 and 12 students combining to take all chemistry one year and all physics the next year to maximize the class size and video conferencing with a larger school or distance education for specialized courses with very few students.

In fact, the most innovative project was suggested by school trustees. A large trailer with added slide-outs was fitted to become an industrial arts classroom.

It was moved to three small, rural schools for part of each year to give all students an opportunity to experience industrial arts class, with different trades each year.

The teacher moved to each school with the trailer. The response was fantastic. This school has remained open due to the efforts of parents, teachers, administration and the school board. Also, that town has not withered as it would have if the school had closed.

We need to keep local children in their own communities.

Think about the education of all of the kids – not, as I see it; ideal education for students in Oliver schools and very sub-optimal education and life for those students who drop out of school or have to travel to a school where they feel that they are not wanted, except as a number to fill a seat.

The Osoyoos Elementary School building is in the second best condition in the school division. It has a central location, lots of green space, great atmosphere and it is almost filled to capacity.

That sounds like an excellent situation to me.

Osoyoos Secondary School has a huge element of pride in everything from teachers to student projects to team sports to academies for hockey and golf.

Innovative ideas can work to keep this school open and thriving.

Kids don’t always have the choice (or luxury) of an ideal education but they should have easy access to a good education. That good education includes the community in which they live.

Lynne Fraser

Osoyoos, B.C.