Last plea for Pangman’s high school

The community of Pangman has made their final plea to the Southeast Cornerstone School Division Monday night. They’re trying to change their minds about closing Pangman’s high school. 

Residents said it’ll be a death sentence for the town at a time when growth is imminent. 

In January the School Division filed a motion to discontinue grades nine through 12 due to low enrollment. According to Saskatchewan Education Standards, a school must have 88 students to be considered a healthy learning environment. Pangman School only has 70. According to the School Board’s projections enrollment is expected to go down to 60 students next term. 

“That’s a tough one because enrollment is a hard thing to fix overnight,” said Carol Flynn, Chair for Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division. “I think the board needs to be impressed that enrollment is going to rise in Pangman.” 

Chair of the School Review Committee, Elwood White, said it certainly will. Oil and gas production are booming in surrounding areas, and the village continues to benefit from Saskatchewan’s growing population. 

“It’s very important for the kids in our community,” said White. “Quality education is delivered. We have excellent staff and an excellent education program. It’s the core of our community.” 

James Carpenter is a developer interested in developing affordable housing in the community in order to attract more people. He said if the school does close, the town won’t be able to grow. 

“It’s in a growth area in Saskatchewan,” said Carpenter.  “As the economy continues to grow here and stabilizes, they’ll require the school. They’ll require the school because families will want to move here.” 

They have asked for a three year extension to reach the required enrollment numbers.  

The School Board said they’ll be putting a lot of thought into the decision. They’re most worried about the quality of education. When enrollment is low, the school gets less funding for programs which could lead to a less than enthusiastic high school experience. 

“Certainly we’ve had a lot of information given to us and the board will take a lot of time to review that information,” said Flynn. 

She hopes they’ll announce their decision at their regular meeting on April 19^th.