Letters sent to The Premier, Minister of Education, MLA's and Quesnel School District Trustees...
Fri, 26 Jul 2002
To: <scottl@quesnelbc.com>, <girvinj@sd28.bc.ca>, <nielsenc@uniserve.com>,<sandy@goldcity.net>,
<christy.clark.mla@leg.bc.ca>,<premier@gov.bc.ca>, <john.wilson.mla@leg.bc.ca>,Bill
Horne
To the Rt. Hon. Gordon Campbell, Premier of British
Columbia,
the Hon. Dr. John Wilson, MLA Cariboo North,
and the members of the Board of Trustees of School District #28,
I am writing to express my concern as a voter in the
Province of BC and a
former resident of Wells, BC about the Wells School closure. This is a
struggling yet very active community with a small population, one which
has
been working on a comprehensive, self-reliant economic development strategy
for over 20 years now. Just as these efforts are beginning to bear fruit,
and just on the eve of a period of growth for this community, the decision
has come down from the School District offices to close their community
school.
This is a death blow for this community - there will
be no new families
moving to town if they are faced with either boarding their young children
in Quesnel or busing their children 100 miles each day to school. This
does
not seem to be of interest to those who voted on this issue who live in
Quesnel, but it is an issue of crucial importance to those who live in
Wells, who love their town, and who are looking forward to a period of
growth that will provide the population that will fill more spaces in
the
classroom. These new students will provide the impetus that is needed
for
the School District to keep the school open, without question.
I feel some sympathy for those who are faced with the
difficult decision of
how to provide education services in the current political climate, such
as
the members of the local school trustee board. I feel nothing but contempt
for those who feel that the closing of a school in a small town is a lesser
political choice than choosing to limit budget expenditures through delaying
raises to administration staff. To vote a $120,000.00 increase to
administration while placing the livelihood of a small community and the
safety of our children at risk is simply a case of priorities gone wildly
astray.
The fact that the decision can be made by absentee "trustees"
is highly
maddening - I too feel the frustration of residents of Wells. We cannot
have
growth and prosperity in our province without maintaining the infrastructure
of the province - and this includes schools as well as roads - and without
a
strategy of support for small communities.
I urge both the current Board of Trustees of School District
#28 and the
current government of the Province of BC to reconsider this move, to reverse
the decision of the school board, and to keep the Wells School open.
Sincerely,
Kevin D Brown
Wells, BC
