SILVER CREEK – The future of Silver Creek Elementary has not always been certain. Last school year officials looked at closing the small school. The community was trying to boost their enrolment to survive in the long term but this year Grade 6 and 7 students were sent to another school. Now some Silver Creek families are speaking out, upset with how the situation has been handled.
Last spring the small rural elementary school, which had 38 students at the time, was up for possible closure. However, ultimately it stayed open. This September student numbers are up, which may seem like good news for students and parents hoping to keep the school open in the long term, but in the school district’s eyes it was not enough to create a third class at the school.
“We have needs all around the district for extra divisions or extra classes and we add extra divisions where numbers most warrant it,” says Glenn Borthistle, superintendent of the North Okanagan – Shuswap School District.
The school district decided to move Silver Creek’s six grade 6 and 7 students to a middle school in Salmon Arm.
“It was determined that an entire extra division was not warranted for that number of students,” says Borthistle.
But that didn’t sit well with some families. Kristie Clark’s son Aiden was supposed to be in Grade 7 at Silver Creek Elementary this year, but he is now going to Shuswap Middle School.
“They are forcing our kids out of their community,” says Clark. “I don’t see how educationally that is the best thing for them. They are on the bus for an hour and a half to get to school.”
To some the move feels like a broken promise.
“We were told Silver Creek would be a kindergarten to Grade 7 school. We spent the whole summer thinking that they were going to keep their promise,” says Ann Craik, whose granddaughter Zoey was supposed to be in Grade 6 at Silver Creek this year.
The school district points out this is not something it planned. Silver Creek was expected to be a kindergarten to Grade 7 school this year but the district says adjustments are always needed once the school year starts and it’s clear how many kids show up.
“This is not a school closure discussion this is an equity of service conversation,” says Borthistle. “We feel it is our responsibility to provide an equity of service to all the students all across the district so we make decisions about where to add divisions so that there will be an equity of service all around the district.”
The number of students at Silver Creek is up from last year. With 46 students currently enrolled the school’s two classes are full. Three other students were also unable to enroll at Silver Creek this year. The school district says that is normal when grades or classes at a school are full.
The district says by moving the students they were not trying to permanently remove the older grades from the school and intend to staff the school as a kindergarten to Grade 7 school next year.
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