MLA Linda Larson announces $490,000 in provincial funding to keep Osoyoos Secondary School open. At left, Councillor Mike Campol and Mayor Sue McKortoff listen to the announcement. (Richard McGuire photo)
UPDATED:
MLA Linda Larson announced Thursday morning that the B.C. government will be providing the full $490,000 requested by School District 53 to keep Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) open.
The news was greeted with cheers in the council chambers at the Osoyoos town hall, and Larson received hugs from Mayor Sue McKortoff, councillors and other members of the community.
Brenda Dorosz, a parent who has been chairing committees to save OSS and start an independent school as a Plan B, greeted the news with a big smile, but cautioned that it’s not over yet. The trustees of SD 53 still need to rescind the school closure bylaw they passed in April.
Trustees will be meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday at the school district office in Oliver to consider a motion to rescind that bylaw.
“For those who know me, you know that keeping Osoyoos Secondary School open for business was my number one priority,” said Larson. “That’s why I’m please to say today that Osoyoos Secondary will be receiving the full $490,000.”
The funding will be ongoing, she added, though she later reiterated what the school district was told previously — it will need to submit an application each year.
“We are ensuring that this community does not have to go through this again,” Larson said.
The money consists of $387,000 in operating funding to offset the savings that would have been achieved by closing OSS, as well as $103,000 for deferred maintenance.
The funding comes from the Rural Education Enhancement Fund, which the government announced on June 15.
“The provincial government has committed this funding because it understands the impact that this particular school closure would have on the economy of your community,” Larson continued.
The announcement is part of a larger strategy for rural schools, she added.
“I know for many of you it was very frustrating, because for you this was the most important school in the province, and the only one you were interested in,” said Larson. “But believe me, the rest of the province also has issues and there was no way we could create a one-off only for Osoyoos. We had to look at a much broader picture.”
The province identified nine rural schools in B.C. that would be eligible for the funds, though not all applied. The others were all elementary schools.
Larson said she is proud to have been named as parliamentary secretary for rural education.
“I”m even more proud of this community for the work that you’ve done and for standing up for your kids,” she said.
A beaming Mayor McKortoff thanked Larson.
“I’m just so thrilled to be part of council and to be here for this announcement,” said McKortoff. “I want to thank you Linda. Thank heavens she was named parliamentary secretary for rural education. We couldn’t think of a better person to be on our side.
“You know they say it takes a village. It didn’t. It took a town. And this town in the last six months has shown that they are together on this and they are willing to work together and are willing to fight for what they believe. We are delighted,” McKortoff added.
Asked for her reaction, Dorosz said she was taking a deep breath.
“It’s fantastic news, but we still have to get through this afternoon,” she said referring to the fact that school trustees still need to pass a motion rescinding the school closure bylaw. “I don’t want to rain on anybody’s parade, but we still need to do that today. So I’ll be there with a bunch of people at three. Then we can celebrate.”
Dorosz said the response of the provincial government and Larson was fantastic.
“They really stepped up,” she said. “They should have maybe a few months ago, but it’s here. The funding is here that we need, so that’s fantastic.”
Asked afterwards to clarify her statement that the funding would be ongoing, Larson said school districts will have to apply each year.
“They have to put a letter in if they’re still in the same category,” she said. “In other words, if they still have a low number of students, they will still put a letter in to say this is the shortage again for operating the school. Just standard protocol, but the promise is to keep that money coming.”
Larson said she fully expects the school board to rescind its bylaw to close OSS.
“The school board made a commitment when it asked for the money, that if they get it, they would open the school,” Larson said. “I have to assume they will stand by that commitment.”
Asked about the $3 to $4 million in capital upgrades the school district said is needed for OSS, Larson said one of her tasks as parliamentary secretary for rural education will be to look at the criteria for schools with less than 95 per cent enrolment to qualify for this funding.
“Obviously not in one lump sum, but part of what my job is to do is to take a look at the criteria for capital funding for schools that fall at less than 95 per cent capacity, which is the issue here,” she said. “And to get a new formula, so that they will be able to apply for capital funding. They’ll have to do it in small chunks, like everybody in the province does, and they’ll have to work on it over the years.”
This means that instead of just being given a “maybe” for capital funding for schools under 95 capacity, there will be clear criteria, Larson said.
“I think that overall, that’s part of my job going forward,” she said. “It will take a few months to do that. What we’ve done with this today is make sure these schools get up and running in September, that they don’t have any issues to speak of, that we’ve dealt with everything that’s on their table right now, and as we move forward, we’ll work on all those other things.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Special to the Chronicle
- Watch video of announcement (YouTube)
