The bus ride is more then 1 hour one way for some of these kids.I live in Willow River and it takes me 40 minutes one way to work.So maybe someone is misunderstanding the actual time it takes!!!That is on good dry roads!!

The school district has been living off of reserves to balance their budget and in 2010 there is no more reserve and therefore a school has to be closed to save money. Giscome is the choice it would seem but use the continued lack of investing in repairs to the school as a good reason to close it. While this is partly the school districts problem it is also the Ministry of Education's for how they budget and give out money to the school districts or rather don't give out :)

Hey I'm no economist but how much does it cost to run a school bus for an hour in each direction every day? multiply that by a school year (approx 9 months), does the total come close to the costs to fix the school?

I am worried that the govt.'s idea is to close schools to keep school board jobs. Why would we need school board jobs if we don't have any schools??

I don't see why the govt. doesn't focus on whats important to BC families, things like family care, children, seniors, education and medical?

If I can't care for my family, why would I care what shape the highway is in??

I think the govt or whomever the new govt elect will be, may want to remember why they're in power in the first place... to look after the needs of the Northern family, in the Northern community.

Just a thought.

A very good point from Highlander, when you think about it, and one that the government or school board probably do not want us to know about. I would bet it is not cheap to repair and maintain this school, bussing is probably less costly, but the impact on the kids should be worthy of consideration too. They would be spending a fair amount of time every school day in the process of getting to school, without even taking bad weather into account. Not mentioned in the report above is enrolment; has it been declining? or, is it expected to decline?
metalman.

I was born and raised in that neck of the woods. Went to that school for seven years. It has met its purpose. However, I think it is a bit unreasonable to have a 6 year old to be on the bus for two hours a day. Its easy for everyone to say do it, but what if it is your child.

Realistically, the school should be torn down. should it be rebuilt in the same location. Absolutely not, it should be built in Willow River, where the population is. It will be a considerably smaller school, Grade one to six. Two classroom, Small library / computer / Arts room. Wide Hallways, which doubles as a place for kids to run and play. (yes running in the hallways) Maybe, the school should have a strong Arts program, to develop a good reputation.

PEOPLE MAKE A CHOICE to live out there, the children used come in on trains and spend the week in town and rejoin their families on the weekend.

How many kids actually attend this school? Ever thought of home school?

Wavoes, it is easy to say that when it is not your children. So what are you saying that the entire nation of young families should live in largely populated areas.

I believe that the very fabric of our society and nation is built on rural communities. We should protect this life style, to ensure to future generations that, yes, you can live without concrete sidewalks and street lights.

Yes, people use to have to be trained into Prince George to go to school, and live in vacated old army barracks. We should not have to do this to our children of the future. We need to ensure that rural life is possible, and the children are well educated in rural areas.

We need to create a model of new schools for rural communities. We need to think outside the box of one classroom is one grade. We need to foster a plan to keep our preteen children in the rural schools.

Highlanderpg @7:49
Well said!

Hear hear, hespoke.
metalman.

The idea of building a model school in rural BC, means that it needs to have special funding made available to the school district to subsidize this.

The formula should be, no less than 25 students, up to and including grade 6, the average travel time is more than 45 minutes. Thus the critical # will be 25 student times 45 minutes, = 1125 student minutes. Thus if you have 40 students, with in 30 minute bus rides, it would be a no go, 20 students at 65 minutes will not qualify. Thus basically becoming the Giscome Rule.

I'm not talking a fancy school. It can be a school which can be dismantled and moved.

I have been posting information about this closure every where. Wish I would have got here before I ran out of torque. I would just like to comment back on a few peoples comments. Those who said the school should be torn down, Maybe, but not now, The official report concluded the school was in still decent shape for its age and was of not potential health problem at the time. I may add this school has more than paid for itself over the years and the maintenance should have been kept up, since the building itself has been paid for long before I was alive over 30 years! WE PAY TAXES TOO! and I think my taxes should go to the school my child and my communities children are in.
I want my child to be in a school outside of your concrete jungle. I don't want my child sent to the top of the Hill where the stench of the Pulp mill filled my lungs every day I went to Blackburn Secondary. I CHOOSE TO LIVE IN A RURAL AREA BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MINE AND MY FAMILIES HEALTH! Another note, that school is more than just a school out this way! It is where we vote, it is where we go in case a disaster occurs. With a great number of other reasons why this school should be saved, I do not have time to type as I need to get ready to go into Prince George and fight for my right as a taxpayer and homeowner to have my child go to a school where he is more than a number.

Erinmarie, the school was built in the the late fifties, the lumber was donated by the Eaglet Lake Sawmill. I am in construction, I grew up in the area and spent 7 years there. the school is old, tired and needs to be torn down, before it falls down and hurts people. it has done its job.

Time to build one in Willow River.

I have been posting information about this closure every where. Wish I would have got here before I ran out of torque. I would just like to comment back on a few peoples comments. Those who said the school should be torn down, Maybe, but not now, The official report concluded the school was in still decent shape for its age and was of not potential health problem at the time. I may add this school has more than paid for itself over the years and the maintenance should have been kept up, since the building itself has been paid for long before I was alive over 30 years! WE PAY TAXES TOO! and I think my taxes should go to the school my child and my communities children are in.
I want my child to be in a school outside of your concrete jungle. I don't want my child sent to the top of the Hill where the stench of the Pulp mill filled my lungs every day I went to Blackburn Secondary. I CHOOSE TO LIVE IN A RURAL AREA BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MINE AND MY FAMILIES HEALTH! Another note, that school is more than just a school out this way! It is where we vote, it is where we go in case a disaster occurs. With a great number of other reasons why this school should be saved, I do not have time to type as I need to get ready to go into Prince George and fight for my right as a taxpayer and homeowner to have my child go to a school where he is more than a number.

Dear He Spoke.
I agree the school should be torn down, but not yet, don't send those children on that bus this coming fall, it is over two hours one way for a lot of them! I have seen the conclusion on the full maintenance report, it is safe for a couple more years (we won't even compare it to Duchess Park and there is apparently still students attending that school) We want an extension of 3 to 5 years in hopes we have 1 to explore other options and get the funding we need to build a new school possibly in Willow River, which is even better for my son. I did not say it should not be torn down, just not yet. I also attended Giscome K through 7 and BJSS for the three years and my last two at PGSS.
He Spoke, have you come and checked the school over? because I grew up in an 80 year old building and its structure is still great! Besides the point, we need a new building, but we need the time to explore those options and in the mean time Giscome will stand and provide a place of learning. I don't think Shirly Bond had in mind it would be shut down anytime soon when three weeks ago she met the $18,000 raised by our communities for a new playground (totally $46,000), and from what I know has offered up the emergency fund for maintenance to keep the school going before she became a candidate again.

Why, exactly should the school be torn down when they are saying it poses no health risks? Just because it is old? My old school is still up and running (it was built in 1914). I have seen the school in question and it is not likely to last all that much longer but until it is ACTUALLY unsafe why close it?
We have gone through discussions like this in my neck of the woods, when our school pop dropped below 100. It is NOT a pleasant prospect to have to bus your kids an hour or more each way at elementary level.
WHat really rankles is that people were given short notice. Given time people could choose to fight, look for alternatives (funding, say) or just make arrangements elsewhere.
There has been a trend for some time to centralize all services. Considering farming is a dieing industry here one has to wonder just how good an idea it is to discourage young people from settling in rural areas. More to the point in this case: The people who moved into the area did so knowing there was a school there. To expect people to predict its closure or just to be aware of the possibility is a bit much. Changes in public services are like changes in neighbourhood zoning. People have a right to expect some continuity where at all possible.