Prince George, B.C.-   Montessori school students, who have been   in classes at Gladstone Elementary in College Heights since fire caused significant damage to their classrooms at  Highglen Elementary, will continue studies at Gladstone until at least the end of the 2015 school year.

 

School District 57 Superintendent Brian Pepper (in photo at right – photo 250News) says emergency bussing which has been provided to Montessori students since the Highglen fire, will not be available when school resumes in September. “Montessori is a choice school, so in keeping with our policy, we do not provide bus service to choice programs.” He says the emergency bussing service was provided in order to keep the students together until the end of the current school year.

 

Pepper says that since the April 22^nd fire at Highglen the School District had made it clear it was looking for a short, medium and long term solution. “We know things take time, and there’s a significant capital outlay that will be necessary and along with that it’s a time consuming process so we wanted to give some firm direction to parents that the Gladstone site will be the site of the Montessori school for the next two years.”

 

What to do about Highglen has not been addressed yet says Pepper who says that will take time. He suspects there will need to be some discussion with the Ministry of Education and Treasury Board before there is an ultimate solution for the Montessori program.  Pepper says there has been no decision on what path will be taken   for Highglen, “Whether it is a rehabilitate, a demolish and rebuild, or look for alternate solutions. We suspect that it will end up being significant dollars.”

 

Gladstone has undergone some renovations in order to be able to accommodate the Montessori students, but Pepper says the School District is not ready to make a decision declaring the Gladstone site as the new permanent home for Montessori “We have a number of possibilities we have to look at, For instance we know that there are a significant number of students that live in the bowl area, and to make that decision without considering all of the different facets would be premature at this point.” He says the School District is waiting for further direction fro the Ministry of Education, direction he suspects should come in the next few months.

 

Pepper says parents can expect a newsletter advising of the two year Gladstone plan within the next   few days.