Norm Blaseg said he doesn't “relish” carrying out school closures proposed by the Rainbow District School Board as it grapples with provincial funding cuts, but insists the board needs to do something.
The director of education with the Rainbow board said he realizes this is an emotional issue for parents, who often purchase a home in a certain area because of the neighbourhood school.
“This is the piece that is so gut-wrenching,” Blaseg said.
“As you know, nobody likes to have their school closed. I don't relish this at all. I don't think anybody does. I know the trustees certainly don't.
“But the focus is about the people, it's not about the bricks and mortar. We have to make sure our resources are going into the people, because people provide programs and services.
“Bricks and mortar do provide a level of comfort as it pertains to the proximity to where people live. I get that. The challenge is, do I have to bus my child further, and how close am I to my regular school I've grown accustomed to?
“Obviously, when there's thoughts of that being moved, there's a huge level of discomfort.”
The board approved accommodation reviews for six of its eight planning areas Aug. 30.
Proposed changes, which would be implemented by 2019 at the latest, include the closure and consolidation of several schools — both elementary and secondary — building new ones and moving Grade 7 and 8 students to high schools.
For the full details of the proposed changes, and to see if your child's school would be affected, click here to read the information released by the Rainbow Board on Aug. 31.
It's partly thanks to cuts introduced through the Ministry of Education's School Board Efficiencies and Modernization strategy, released last year, that the Rainbow board has been forced into this position, Blaseg said.
Blaseg said the board lost $1.3 million in funding in 2015-2016 with more cuts this year and next year as part of the Ministry of Education's School Board Efficiencies and Modernization strategy.
The board also continues to lose funding due to declining enrolment.
The Board must reduce its expenditures by approximately $4 million annually to offset the reduction in provincial revenue.
Rainbow does have a $9-million reserve fund, but that's being quickly being whittled away.
That's why it's acting quickly with what's called a modified accommodation review, meaning input will be gathered from stakeholders this fall and decisions made just four months from now, in January 2017.
The sooner decisions are made, the better, as the board needs to cut spending soon, Blaseg said. Rainbow estimates the changes will achieve permanent savings of $3.5 million annually and $51.1 million in capital renewal costs.
Declining enrolment is also to blame for the board's financial situation, something that Blaseg said affects 90 per cent of the province's boards.
Rainbow currently has about 6,000 surplus pupil spaces in its schools, which would be reduced by about 2,500 through the proposed changes.
If the accommodation process laid out above seems different to you, that's because it is — in recent years, the province has made changes to how school closures are carried out.
The previous — and very unpopular — accommodation review process saw parents give their input before staff released a plan and trustees made a decision.
Now staff lay out their plan in advance, and then parents have a chance to give input on what's presented. Blaseg said it's better to be up-front with parents. These reviews are not held as a “feel-good moment,” he said.
“What you see is our initial recommendations,” he said. “Those could be fluid over time, although the bottom line is, we need to find savings. So if not this, then what?”
