The Kwaleen Parent Advisory Council and the Russet Bluff Community Association Saturday launched savebcschools.com, a website created in response to the Initial Options Report produced by the School District 27 board this fall.
“We felt that savebcschools.com was needed to give proper voice to the huge number of people both within the community and outside the community who are strongly opposed to the recommendations set out in the Initial Options Report,” says Kwaleen PAC president Katie Dyck in the Saturday, Oct. 27 press release.
“We recognize the need of the board to be fiscally responsible, but school closures and other significant compromises are not acceptable. Other school districts have managed to carry on without closing schools.
“Why can Quesnel manage without closing schools, but not School District 27? Everyone needs to speak out and to take action. If we don’t we’re looking at irreparable damage to critical pieces of our social infrastructure.
“We’re hoping that this website will spur the board to reconsider their proposed course of action and the damage they’re proposing to do and prompt the provincial government to provide our schools with the funding they need to operate properly.”
Among its recommendtions the Initial Options Report proposes to close Kwaleen, Glendale and Wildwood elementary schools in the Williams Lake area and make Columneetza and Williams Lake secondary schools into a Grade 7 to 12 secondary school on two campuses. They are currently grades 8 to 12 schools run independently with some cross-over classes.
Dyck says the Save BC Schools website provides background information on the key issues with respect to the Initial Options Report, information regarding the statutory and fiduciary duty of school trustees, contact information for key school district and government personnel, and provides guidance on possible messaging to decision makers.
