Richmond’s Board of Education chair Debbie Tablotney insists trustees have yet to make up their minds as to how many elementary schools should close, in order to leverage funding from the Ministry of Education for seismic upgrades.
Questioning parents attended three special meetings this week at each of the schools recommended for closure — McKay, Dixon and Woodward.
“Trustees wanted to get the flavour of the school; learn what are the parents’ concerns; if the school is closed, can the concerns be mitigated?” said Tablotney.
She said it’s possible for trustees to vote against one or all of the recommended closures, at a public meeting on Oct. 17. But without closures, trustees face the possibility of having the ministry tell them the district isn’t operating efficiently enough to receive upgrades.
“The repercussion is it won’t be enough for the ministry,” said Tablotney.
What is and isn’t efficient remains open to interpretation. Last year, when the district began its facilities review, Tablotney said it was told to reach 95 per cent utilization rate, meaning it had to consolidate space.
Now, “flip-flopping” has occurred on the part of the ministry, and the 95 per cent target is a guideline, said Tablotney.
Nevertheless, “the capital document is very clear that we have to consolidate space ... and run schools efficiently,” said Tablotney.
She acknowledged that there are more options for programs and sports teams in larger schools, however smaller schools also provide benefits.
Although, “there is a point at which a school does get too small,” said Tablotney. For example, Woodward elementary has only about 130 students, with a capacity for 245.
On Monday, Woodward PAC member Gina Mahil and about 50 people attended the special meeting. They raised concerns about having their children cross railway tracks to get to Kidd elementary.
Parents became emotional, said Mahil.
“You can’t just pick something up and move it,” she said.
Parents offered solutions, such as moving French and international students in, from outside the catchment.
Questions as to what happnes to the school building and land remain unanswered, said Mahil.
On Tuesday, at Dixon — a French immersion school with about 375 students and a capacity of 350, but only about 165 students who are in-catchment (living nearby) — roughly 250 people, depending on estimates, attended an emotional meeting. There are concerns students will have too long of a walk or be split up into adjacent schools.
Wednesday saw trustees attend McKay, where about 80 people turned out to ask more questions. One teacher asked why McKay was closing and students were being sent to Grauer, which is rated worse for seismic safety.
Secretary treasurer Mark de Mello said seismic ratings can be misleading as the difference between an H1 (high risk) and H2 (moderate risk) rating can be nominal. Rebuilding Grauer was a top priority, he added.
The district has long requested seismic upgrades, but has been continuously denied by the province, said Tablotney.
-This online version of the story has been updated to reflect the correct number of students attending Dixon, who live in the regular catchment.
