Parents and students at Sister Annata Brockman school appear closer to victory in their fight to keep their kids from being forced to change schools.
The west end school was overcrowded and the Catholic School Board was looking at moving more than 200 Junior High students to a different school unless 6 more portables could be found.
An emergency meeting was planned for Monday to discuss the plan, but word came down from the Minister of Education, Thomas Lukaszuk, that those portables could be on the way.
“How do I feel about that? Extremely pleased because those parents, upwards of 240 students, those parents are going to be thrilled,” says Catholic School Board chair, Debbie Engel, ” Because busing your children 10 kilometres to another junior high, is not an ideal situation.”
Lukaszuk called the school board during the emergency meeting where the board was prepared to move students
“We were going to make an interim plan that very much went against the wishes of the stakeholders in the community,” says Engel. “The board always wants to do what the community wants, because we are the voice of the community. So this was going to be a very tough day.”
Get daily National news
Parent Tammy Berge took part in the call as well and was pleased to hear the news.
“I’m ecstatic,” she tells Global News, “His comments were pretty much if we can prove it’s not going to be a safety issue for our children to add 6 more modular classrooms and our core can actually facilitate it, that the contract can be amended and he will do his best to make sure that happens.”
Engel says the school should easily facilitate the portable classrooms.
“I do know the Minister showed extreme, extreme willingness to have the portables there if the conditions were met and we can meet those conditions.”
The school was originally built for 500 students, but it now has 700 students. The details of the contract still need to be finalized, but Engel hopes to have it finalized by Thursday.
Late Monday, Lukaszuk told Global News he has not promised the portables but will review and look at the request, but says it would cost lots of money to add portables when a perfectly good school 15 minutes away has free space.
“Always have a backup plan,” says Lukaszuk, “I made it clear to the school board that I will look at all those facts.”
One of those facts to consider is the cost. Lukaszuk says 6 more portables have a price tag of $3 million, plus the cost of renegotiating the P3 contract.
“If they get 6 portables, that’s 6 portables other children will not be getting. In other school boards, they don’t have the option of going to other schools because it is simply inconvenient and 15 minutes away.”
Whatever the decision both sides admit it must be made quickly, considering the school year is only 5 months away.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.