Letters sent to The Premier, Minister of Education, MLA's and Quesnel School District Trustees...
To: Karen Andrews, Don Cunningham, Shirley Demers, Jim
Girvin, Caroline Nielson, Sandy Robertson, Louise Scott.
August 07, 2002
Subject: Opportunity to Review Decisions
Today I received four more letters by mail representing 10 more people from around the province regarding the school closure decision. As you know probably better than I, the depth of support for the Wells school far surpasses our small community. I am moved and amazed by the response to this issue.
A letter from Reverend Bill Booth, of Saint Andrews United to some trustees, and copied to me, inspired me the deepest. If you are Louise, Jim, Caroline or Sandy, you received a copy, but everyone should read it for its profound clarity of thought and sensible approach.
As our community readies itself for court action and frustrated individuals ask why we should spend tax dollars fighting the board with other tax dollars about how our tax dollars should be spent I can't help marvel at the situation we have all created. Once again, I am appealing to your good sense as responsible elected officials to help us resolve this issue.
It strikes me that the meeting between the community and Louise, Karen, Ed and Tim was not well reported to the rest of the trustees. To review, in addition to the cost saving measures that you were aware of before, which included forgiving municipal fees, sharing out booking income, having IMA assume more of the janitorial expense, moving to a 4 day school week, eliminating the 5 year capital cost for furnace replacement, and other minor cost saving initiatives, there were two other key proposals.
The first is that the municipality of Wells assume ownership of the property and lease back to the district only the required space to operate the school. This transfers all maintenance and operational costs to Wells.
The second point is that the school district and the community negotiate a minimum number of students acceptable as an economic floor. If enrollment falls below this level then the municipality kicks in the $5308/FTE to make up the difference. The floor is set so that it brings the cost per student in line with urban schools. So from a budgetary point of view, the school district has a guarunteed income for the school and the community gets the services it needs.
The trustees in School District 57 accepted a nearly identical proposal from the local regional districts and believe that potential issues with unions can be resolved. This has allowed the communities of Hixon (41 FTE), Bear Lake (21.5 FTE), and Mackenzie(17 FTE with two teachers) to remain open one more year while the details of this agreement are worked out. This very equitable arrangement has solved the economic crisis that these schools represented to the board. The Regional Districts believe that this arrangement could even be a model for the entire province as it represents a fair and equitable way to distribute school tax dollars.
I will be sending you a copy of the more detailed partnership proposal by Betty Abbs from Prince George North Regional District shortly.
Given the outstanding provincial citizen support and the demonstrated desire of the people of Quesnel and Wells (your constituents) to see the Wells School remain open it seems within your grasp to change the decision that you have made. It only needs the request of the Chair, or the signatures of 4 trustees to convene a special meeting to discuss this issue and resolve the conflict to the satisfaction of your electors.
I understand that you have a regularly scheduled meeting late in August but for the sake of the health of the Mayor and other hunger strikers, to aid and relieve parents who are now planning to move out of the district or register for home schooling, for the satisfaction of the people of the province and to remove the continuing expense, distress and pressure that this issue exerts on individuals, the municipalities and the school district, I am asking that you choose to convene immediately. I am not asking you to change your mind because your constituents say so, I am asking that you seek a solution because your constituents are asking. I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Dave Jorgenson,
Wells, Barkerville, Bowron Save Our School Committee Spokesperson
ps visit www.claireart.ca/SOS_May29.htm for more letters, many of which have been sent to you and some you may not have seen, sent to the Premier and the Minister.