The province has already said no, but that’s not stopping parents from putting the pressure on B.C.’s education minister for construction of a new Rutland Middle School (RMS).
The 70-year-old structure is the focus of a funding feud with the province. The school board says it’s time for a new $40 million building.
The president of the parent advisory committee, Marie Howell, has launched a petition in an effort to reverse the government’s decision.
She rolls off a list of problems with the aging structure, starting with the wooden planks on the exterior of the gym walls.
‘It’s all to do with the fact that the stucco has become so old that they’ve put that up to keep it onto the walls — to keep it safe,” Howell said.
She says the fact that 40 per cent of the students who attend RMS will get their education in portables is another sign.
“We have students who have done all three of their middle school years in these portables, never once having their main classrooms inside the building,” she said.
Get daily National news
Howell says accessibility for the handicapped is another major concern. There is a wheelchair ramp, but that’s a far as accessibility goes once inside the school.
“We don’t have access to the second floor for somebody that needs to use a wheelchair or a cane. We only have stairs,” Howell said.
WATCH BELOW (Aired Jan. 30, 2019) SD23 not taking no for an answer on replacing Rutland Middle School
Education Minister Rob Fleming has already told the board that there is no money available for a new school. In return, parents have launched online petition, and Howell says more than 1,400 people have shown their support, including several alumni.
“Many students who had once gone to the school have made comments about how old the school is, and when they went to the school — 20 to 30 years ago — that it (building) hasn’t been updated at all since they left and are quite shocked by that,” she said.
But efforts to convince the province on a new school might be in vain. Howell says two more portables have been ordered for RMS — perhaps a sign of things to come.
“It doesn’t sound very promising,” Howell said.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.