I understand from fellow community members that the reason West Bench Elementary may have been excluded from the Provincial Rural Education Enhancement Fund press release was because of declining enrolment.
West Bench Elementary (WBE) was built for grades kindergarten to seven. SD67 changed to a middle school program and eliminated grades six and seven from our school. We have one room closed at West Bench Elementary. We are not in extreme enrolment decline. WBE had significant repairs to the heating and cooling system last summer. Our facility condition is sound.
WBE is the only elementary school in Rural Area F and is represented by rural school trustee, Ginny Manning.
On behalf Rural Area F, how can WBE be added to the list of schools eligible for the Rural Education Grant released this week?
What I heard and read was the province recognizes that rural schools face unique challenges that deserve long-term solutions. That the province agrees that rural students are more than just dollars and there is value in rural communities and value in the students and families who live in rural areas.
Declining enrolment is an issue that the Rural Education Enhancement Fund will address so that communities, like West Bench and Trout Creek, will have the infrastructure in place to grow and attract talent and families to keep our local economy strong.
Riley Gettens
Penticton
