Their school is no longer on the chopping block, but a leaked confidential letter is raising the ire of some Armstrong parents.
They’re upset about the way city hall handled the possible school closure of Armstrong Elementary School.
Read More: District says north Okanagan schools should stay open
The parents have learned Armstrong’s mayor sent a confidential letter to the school board last January.
The letter makes it clear that the city would be interested in acquiring Armstrong Elementary if it was closed.
“It is saddening,” said parent Stephanie Halifax.
“This is the mayor of our town. His job is to support the people and what we want. There were 3,000 signatures on that petition that did not want any of our schools in Armstrong to close.”
Part of the reason parents are upset is that the confidential letter was sent before Armstrong Elementary was officially identified by the school board as the school in Armstrong the board would pursue closing.
Read More: North Okanagan – Shuswap parents push back against school closures
To parent Sarah Whitehead, it appeared from the letter that Armstrong’s mayor was supporting selling the school even before it was “put on the chopping block.”
“I think it was a little shocking and disappointing that it didn’t seem like we had the support of the mayor of the town,” said Whitehead.
“We want to keep all the schools in Armstrong open and we would think that as the mayor of this town he would be representing what the town wanted.”
Parents are also concerned that the letter may have made it easier for trustees to pursue closing Armstrong Elementary.
“I think it would have been easier for the school board to get rid of the building with somebody already suggesting they wanted to purchase it,” said Halifax.
The mayor said the City wasn’t offering to buy the school but simply take it over if it was closed.
“It was very important for us to preserve the building as a heritage building and preserve the land almost like a park,” said Mayor Chris Pieper.
Pieper denied his letter was meant to encourage the board to close Armstrong Elementary or that expressing interest in acquiring the school made it easier for the board to pursue closing Armstrong Elementary.
“It was the intent of City Hall to work with the school district to preserve the school. We value it as a school,” said the mayor.
For the mayor, the letter was a proactive effort to deal with the possible shut down of a school in the community.
Read More: North Okanagan – Shuswap school board looking at closing or restructuring schools
“The City had heard through the community that Armstrong Elementary was going to close,” said Pieper.
“We wanted to be part of a solution with the school board rather than coming in at the very end.”
While parents wonder whether the letter may have swayed the school board towards closing Armstrong Elementary over another school, the school district said the Armstrong Elementary school closure was pursued because of strong opposition to another option considered.
In December, the decision was made not to close Armstrong Elementary.
– with files from Doris Bregolisse
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