Nechako Lakes School Board Considering School Closures
Burns Lake, B.C. – Declining enrolment has the Nechako Lakes School Board considering school closures.
In the Fort St. James area, the district has experienced a decline in enrolment from 900 students in grades K – 12 in 2000/01 to 594 students in the 2014/15 school year.
While in the Fort Fraser / Fraser Lake area, the district has experienced a decline in enrolment from 664 students in 2000/01 to 464 students in the 2014/15 school year.
Board chair Steve Davis adds “since 1999, we have about 30% less students all together in the Lakes District and in some communities, there are schools that have 70% of the building being empty.”
He says that costs “lots of money,” and has forced the board to look at “efficiencies.”
Davis says the district held public consultation meetings in Fort St. James and in Fraser Lake and Fort Fraser last month where the overwhelming sentiment was “very adamant they want to keep their schools opened.”
In order to keep the schools open though, he says they’re “hoping for community involvement for ideas. We’re open to suggestions and we’re just hoping that the community can band together and come up with some good ideas.”
Davis blames the declining numbers on economic factors, including the need “for less workers.”
He says the nature of work has also changed, noting the new Mt. Milligan mine in Fort St. James hasn’t brought the influx of young families they were expecting.
“We had hoped there would be an increase in the number of students but most workers stay in camp and go back to the community they live in later.”
In fact Davis says they’ve seen an “increase of just two students in that community since the mine opened.”
He also notes families “are smaller” these days, adding people “are not having as many kids as they used to.”
Davis says the Board will make a final decision on any possible changes or school closures at their final meeting of the year June 22.
There have already been three school closures in the past five years in the district, including Prairiedale Elementary in Vanderhoof last year and Muriel Mould Primary School in Burns Lake and Topley Elementary in 2010.
Comments
Closing the schools in these rural communities is not the answer. One can’t just take a Lower mainland model and apply it in rural communities. Consolidating schools across vast areas leaving some communities without a school makes no sense on many levels. Most of these communities already only have one school as is.
Maybe if Victoria bureaucrats want to under fund, then the school districts need to cut back on school days to a 4-day week to save on salaries. If the disruption costs Victoria votes and support, then maybe that seems to be the only route forward.
The decline in student population is another issue and one that bode ill for the communities throughout the North. Governments look to this to reduce the services a community can expect in all areas, not just education (eg health care dollars and doctors, roads, and the works). Without in migration it is a sign of future declining populations.
YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE LIBERAL POLICIES IN THIS PROVINCE. MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK TO OUR NEIGHBOURS TO THE EAST….CHANGE IS IN THE WIND.
Maybe its time to think about going back to the initial system- one or two room schools for rural communities.
It seems to have worked quite well for a lot of years.
If there are less students it make sense to reduce the number of teachers and class rooms. However, closing schools and bussing students a long way should be a last resort. Perhaps there could be an opportunity to couple a smaller school with a targeted on-line teaching program.
Posted on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 @ 4:44 AM by ice
YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE LIBERAL POLICIES IN THIS PROVINCE. MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK TO OUR NEIGHBOURS TO THE EAST….CHANGE IS IN THE WIND.
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The government is responsible for declining enrollment? How do you figure that?
“…there are schools that have 70% of the building being empty.”
So, Ice, rather than just scream (that is what it is called when you type with your Caps Lock on) and blame declining enrolment on Victoria what would YOU do with those almost empty schools? You do know that it costs a lot of money to maintain the buildings? Taxpayers’ money!
Have you seen that new high school? It’s like a scene out of a Steven King movie. They had to keep a full time repair crew on hand to deal with the daily vandalism and kids using empty classrooms as toilets.
Which new high school?
The government is responsible for declining enrollment? How do you figure that?
axman– Take a look at MT Polley. Government inability to Police mines causing the loss of hundreds of jobs in the community. Where do you think the people are going to go with their children?
Posted on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 @ 9:28 AM by oldman1
The government is responsible for declining enrollment? How do you figure that?
axman– Take a look at MT Polley. Government inability to Police mines causing the loss of hundreds of jobs in the community. Where do you think the people are going to go with their children?
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That’s probably the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard. They’re all moving to Fraser Lake?
Let’s leave the schools open because we don’t have enough bureaucrats to effectively monitor a mine? That’s some sound logic there.
Probably a lot of families and their kids moved to Prince George. That would be my guess. Seems that Prince George is the **go to** place for people from the West. If so, then we should see an increase in enrolments in our district.
BC is the ALABAMA of the north and the libs are trying to make the public system illiterate. PRETTY soon kids on a HUTTERITE colony will be ahead of us educationally. THIS govt. has not fulfilled one election promise. CHANGE IS BLOWIN IN THE WIND!!!
ice- do you even realize how much money is being pumped into the education system per year?
mattyc is about to blow a gasket.
“BC is the ALABAMA of the north…”
Wow! Why are you living here (if indeed you do)?
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