Vote on Sicamous school amalgamation delayed

Students and parents in the Sicamous area will have to wait a few more months to find out the fate of two local schools.

The North Okanagan – Shuswap School Board had planned to vote Tuesday night on whether or not to amalgamate Parkview Elementary School and Eagle River Secondary School. The proposal officials are considering would see the elementary school building closed and students of all ages using the secondary school building starting in the fall of 2017.

School officials had planned to make the decision early so that if the amalgamation went ahead, they would have two summers to update the secondary school and get it ready for younger students.

Read More: Deadline for special report reviewing SD 83’s practices pushed back

However, that vote has now been postponed till after the school district receives a copy of a special advisor’s report on the board’s management.

The provincial Ministry of Education confirmed on June 3 the special advisor had turned in her report to the ministry, but the school district says they have yet to receive a copy.

Read More: Government hires special advisor to review SD 83 board after three trustees resign

A school district spokesperson says a vote on amalgamating Sicamous schools will now likely be held in the fall.

In February, a task force assigned to look at the idea of amalgamating the two schools found it would be an “educationally sound” option.

“The reality is the current school configuration in School District 83 is not sustainable without a significant impact on the education of our students. Under-utilized facilities are costly, and result in cuts to programs that are vital to the academic and social success of our students,” wrote the task force in its report.