Parents insist they want more of a role when it comes to the future of Armstrong schools.
A town hall meeting Thursday drew about 200 people as the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District presented options, including possible school closures, to deal with tight finances and slow enrolment.
“We won’t sit and wait to be told what happens,” said Jamie Schrauwen, with the Armstrong Elementary parents advisory committee.
“We will make our voices heard.”
Possible options include closing Len Wood Middle School in Armstrong and one of the two elementary schools, and reconfiguring Pleasant Valley Secondary School to Grades 6 to 12 between 2017 and 2019.
“There’s nothing for certain on the table,” said trustee Kelly Rowe.
“We have to do something and we’re getting feedback from the community.”
According to district figures, it anticipates a shortfall of $3.6 million over the next three years, including $1.3 million in 2016/17.
Schrauwen says only district-wide financial data was presented and not strictly for Armstrong.
“Is Armstrong where the cuts have to be made? We’re not Sicamous, we’re not Salmon Arm,” she said.
“We’re asking for Armstrong costs so we can look at the picture here. Sicamous numbers give us nothing.”
Schrauwen says the elementary schools are virtually at capacity and closures could impact students’ needs in the future.
“We need to look at the long-term and not the short-term just for money-saving,” she said.
Some parents at the meeting questioned why a new district office moved ahead if funding is tight.
“Maybe that was a gym or a library expansion. They need to look at themselves,” said Schrauwen.
There was strong opposition among parents to combining Grade 6 students with those in Grade 12.
“There was nothing said at the meeting that I haven’t said myself. When I heard of the idea of putting Grades 6 to 12 together, I said, absolutely not,” said Rowe.
There was also a discussion about two kindergarten to Grade 7 schools and a school for Grades 8 to 12. Another option is kindergarten to Grade 3, Grades 4 to 7 and Grades 8 to 12.
“We will look through the suggestions and see if there’s anything we can move forward,” said superintendent Glenn Borthistle.
Chris Pieper, Armstrong mayor, was at the meeting and points out that district-wide enrolment has dropped from 8,000 students in 2001 to 5,800 now.
“They (school district) know something has to be done and they are looking to the community to help with restructuring,” he said.
There will be a town hall meeting Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at A.L. Fortune Secondary School in Enderby.
For 2016, there is the option of closing Grindrod Elementary, converting Enderby’s M.V. Beattie Elementary to kindergarten to Grade 5 and reconfiguring A.L. Fortune Secondary to Grades 6 to 12.
