School Board exploring middle school option, school calendar changes

By Erin Perkins

Parents and the community will have an opportunity to weigh in on the new B.C. Education Plan, the possibility of a new middle school, class sizes, specialty programs and even a possible adjustment to the school calendar during the School District 51 Board of Education's Community Consultation evenings beginning next month.

One of the main issues the board would like input on is a proposed middle school.

"The B.C. Education Plan has identified three learning phases," said Michael Strukoff, SD 51 superintendent, to explain the attraction to a middle school format.

If a middle school format was chosen, it would not begin until September 2013. The plan proposes two elementary schools that go from Kindergarten to Grade 5. One would be at Christina Lake Elementary School and the other at John A. Hutton Elementary in Grand Forks. A middle school of Grade 6 to 8 students would be established in the current Dr. D.A. Perley Elementary School facilities and the Grand Forks Secondary School would have Grades 9 to 12.

The reason they've chosen Perley is due to it's close proximity to GFSS, said school board chair Teresa Rezansoff. The highschool and middle school would be able to share specialty programs and staff like fine arts, shop and home economics, while still catering to the unique needs of the younger and older preteen and teenaged grades.

Many of the issues being brought forth are in response to shifting and declining enrollment and public education funding.

This school district has been in funding protection since the 2006/2007 school year due to declining enrollment. However, as part of the funding protection plan, the government claws back 1.5 per cent of what the district received the previous year. The district must have a balanced budget and this loss must be accounted for every year. The full time student numbers have also been on a steady decline. Since the 2001/2002 school year the district has gone from 2,030 full time students to 1,373 this school year -- a 32 per cent decrease or the loss of 652 students over the past decade. The decrease has stabilized over the past few years. There is only one student loss between this school year and last.

Other topics for discussion will include the B.C. Education Plan, revenue and expenses over next three school years.

The board also wants to explore changing the local school calendar to a "balanced calendar", which would have three one month breaks spaced throughout the year rather than a two month summer block. The format would maintain the current four day school week.

The spring forums are scheduled as follows:

Christina Lake Elementary School gym

Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Dr.D.A. Perley Elementary School gym

Wednesday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Greenwood Elementary School gym

Wednesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.

West Boundary Elementary School gym

Tuesday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m.

The spring forums will be followed by a second round of public meetings this fall at later to be announced dates and times.

For more information please visit www.sd51.bc.ca , call the board office at 250-442-8258 or email .