Wells-Barkerville SOS press release May 20/02

RURAL SCHOOL CASH GRAB HELPS KEEP CITY SCHOOLS OPEN

For immediate release May 20, 2002

School districts around the province are closing rural schools and pocketing millions of dollars in provincial grants meant to keep them open, say those fighting to keep the school open in the small town of Wells, 80 kilometres east of Quesnel. And, the provincial government is allowing them to do it.

A spokesperson for the Wells Save Our Schools Committee, Dave Jorgenson, points to the Provincial Supplement for Unique Geographic Features contained in the new funding formula, which provides money to support rural schools. According to the Education Ministry s budget instruction manual, "the funding is for districts that need to operate schools in remote communities with small populations which do not benefit from economies of scale where schools are clustered more closely together." However, the Ministry has no process of accountability to ensure the money is spent for this purpose. "In the case of Wells," Jorgenson says, "they re taking our $100,000, closing our school and using it to help avoid making tough choices in Quesnel. In fact, the total taken from Wells will be $300,000 over three years for a school that's closed!"

School District 28 is also receiving a supplement for the Richbar School, another school facing closure.
The chair of School District 28 (Quesnel), Louise Scott has publicly stated that if the Wells-Barkerville School were kept open, "we would have to make more significant cuts in town."

The Quesnel School District is not alone in the ethically questionable move of reallocating the small communities supplement. Throughout the province, 19 of the 57 schools scheduled to close receive rural supplements totalling 2.2 million dollars this year and 6.5 million over three years.

RURAL SCHOOL CASH GRAB HELPS KEEP CITY SCHOOLS OPEN For immediate release May 20, 2002 School districts around the province are closing rural schools and pocketing millions of dollars in provincial grants meant to keep them open, say those fighting to keep the school open in the small town of Wells, 80 kilometres east of Quesnel. And, the provincial government is allowing them to do it. A spokesperson for the Wells Save Our Schools Committee, Dave Jorgenson, points to the Provincial Supplement for Unique Geographic Features contained in the new funding formula, which provides money to support rural schools. According to the Education Ministry s budget instruction manual, "the funding is for districts that need to operate schools in remote communities with small populations which do not benefit from economies of scale where schools are clustered more closely together." However, the Ministry has no process of accountability to ensure the money is spent for this purpose. "In the case of Wells," Jorgenson says, "they re taking our $100,000, closing our school and using it to help avoid making tough choices in Quesnel. In fact, the total taken from Wells will be $300,000 over three years for a school that's closed!" School District 28 is also receiving a supplement for the Richbar School, another school facing closure. The chair of School District 28 (Quesnel), Louise Scott has publicly stated that if the Wells-Barkerville School were kept open, "we would have to make more significant cuts in town." The Quesnel School District is not alone in the ethically questionable move of reallocating the small communities supplement. Throughout the province, 19 of the 57 schools scheduled to close receive rural supplements totalling 2.2 million dollars this year and 6.5 million over three years.		to Main Briefing Document Student Power! 68 Kb + 44 Kb pics		to Press Release (April 24, 2002) to Press Release (May 9, 2002)
			School District 57 (Prince George) is diverting three hundred thousand dollars this year for three rural schools - Hixon, Bear Lake and McLeod Lake - that are scheduled to close. In School District 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin), the Forest Grove School is slated for closure and its $165,600 rural grant diverted elsewhere. The largest reallocation is in School District 6 (Rocky Mountain) where six rural schools are being closed, with supplements totalling a whopping $616,000. Wells parent Marilyn Rummel has written to Cariboo North MLA John Wilson, appealing to the province to straighten out the intent of rural school funding. "The idea that School Boards would be free to spend money in whatever fashion they wish, with no targetted funds, has left rural schools throughout the province at the mercy of boards who have difficult choices to make," she says. "Unfortunately, school boards here and elsewhere are applying for these funds on the basis of the rural schools they are supposed to support, and then closing the schools and using the funds for the remaining, centralized schools in the larger centres." It is a bitter irony for parents and others in small, rural areas. "Despite the clear intent of the provincial government to support the special funding issues existing in districts with rural areas," Jorgenson says, "many school boards, whether they realize it or not, are destroying rural economies and driving families to the city." -30-
	For more information contact: For more information: Dave Jorgenson, Wells Save Our Schools Committee 250 994 2345 Linda Lee, Wasa parent (Rocky Mountain School District) 250 422 3333