Letters sent to The Premier, Minister of Education, MLA's and Quesnel School District Trustees...
July 17, 2002
Honourable Christy Clark, Minister of Education
PO Box 9041, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
and
Premier Gordon Campbell
PO Box 9041, STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E 1
I am writing to protest the decision to close the Wells-Barkerville Elementary
School.
This decision was made for people whose children attend, or will be attending this school, but without consideration for the parents, the children, or the community in general. The decision was not made by the people concerned. Lives will be drastically affected by this short-sighted decision that appears to be based on flawed data, and false premises.
Living in mountainous northern regions of British Columbia presents challenges. Driving on treacherously icy roads during the winter can be extremely dangerous. At any time of the year, constant care has to be taken to watch for wildlife on the highways to prevent the terrible consequences that can result from a collision with moose or other animals.
Consideration of the children's time spent on the bus each day needs to be taken into account when making a decision such as this. For children of any age, let alone small children, to be forced to spend the time it takes to drive 150 kilometres each day on a school bus over mountain roads that have many hazards, is outrageous in terms of their well-being.
Children's need for an orderly life with sufficient sleep, exercise, creative pursuit, and family and community time has been ignored. Their need to attend school in their own community where they have the best chance of gaining a sense of security as they grow, has also been ignored. These things are vitally important, and cannot be counted in "money saved".
If the Wells-Barkerville Elementary School closes, how will parents attend functions at a school that is situated 75 kilometres away? How will they support their children's endeavours by their presence, without incurring enormous expense every time there is something special on at school? Has this extra expense of the parents been calculated when the decision was being made to close the school in order to "save money"?
Exceptional opportunities are in existence now at the Wells-Barkerville school for children to participate in extra-curricular activities. These include cross country skiing, downhill skiing, music, fine-arts and theatre. Students who must catch a school-bus after school will lose the opportunity to participate in these activities if they exist at the school they attend in Quesnel, and the time it will take for the ridiculously long and exhausting one and one half hour bus journey will prevent them joining in these activities when they return home to Wells at night. At certain times of the year, the children could be travelling part of the way in the dark, morning and night. The bus would also be navigating the dangerous mountain roads in the dark at these times.
What are the costs involved in contracting a school bus to make the run back and forth each day? How do these costs compare with the alleged amount of money that will be saved? Where will repair and maintenance facilities be available for the school bus? Will the school bus be housed in Wells? or will it run empty back to Quesnel each night and then run empty back out to Wells each morning? As vehicles cost the same amount per kilometre to drive whether they are full or empty, this could double the cost of transportation of the students. Has this cost been included in the discussions?
How much does it cost per kilometre to run a schoolbus? Extra amounts must be allowed for winter driving to cover the cost of winter tires, anti freeze, and special needs for cold weather driving such as tire chains. If the bus costs an estimated $1 a kilometre to cover the capital cost and expenses (maintenance, repairs, insurance, safety and first aid equipment, registration, insurance, fuel, oil, antifreeze, etc.) that are needed to run the vehicle, adds up to $30,000.00 per school year.
If the bus is based in Quesnel and housed there, and has to return each night to Quesnel, that estimated $30,000.00 could be doubled to $60,000.00.
Adding the cost of driver's wages, benefits such as UIC, CPP, and the cost of Workers' Compensation premiums, special liability insurance premiums necessary for the transport of school children,
I ask that you consider also the hidden costs to the children, and to the community. These do not show up when one is tracking only financial costs. Each day, students will spend almost three extra hours of their day travelling. Any student, (or parents of students) who have experienced lengthy school bus rides, will confirm that this time becomes "wasted" time in terms of child development. It is not productive use of children's time, and although the time spent might provide an opportunity for study, the atmosphere on the school bus is not always conducive to studying. The driver is so fully occupied attending to the road conditions, safety, and needs of the bus itself that he/she does not have time to supervise the students' behaviour, or their use of their time.
In spending three of their precious hours per day riding a schoolbus, the children are also losing out on their community life, their family life, and the opportunity to interact with all of the others in their own community on a day to day basis. In addition to this, spending 3 extra hours per day sitting down,
In places like Wells, residents are privileged to be part of a thriving social life that includes a close and very positive contact with people from tiny babies to aged elders. Riding a schoolbus out of one community to attend school in another reduces this life-enhancing opportunity.
Please consider this letter my request that the decision to close the Wells-Barkerville Elementary School be reversed.
Yours truly
Jacqueline Baldwin
PRINCE GEORGE BC