Student Power!
68 Kb + 44 Kb pics
protest song lyrics
(45 Kb PDF)
"Campbell's Privatizeers"
(1269 Kb MP3)
"Farewell to Gordon Campbell"
(1128 Kb MP3)

Pictures from reopening of the school, April 28, 2003

Downoadable "Missing" poster: Minister Christy Clark and the Rural Task Force Report (PDF format, 52 Kb)

Reflections on the Deal - a bulletin from Bill Horne & Claire Kujundzic (April 18, 2003)

Press release: Quesnel School Board Flip Flops On Wells School;
Children Continue In Sub-Standard Conditions (March 20, 2003)

Costs of moving children back into the school (February 2003)

HUNGER STRIKE NEWS

Pictorial summary of the campaign to save our school (305 Kb PDF)

Nov. 14, 2002 SOS submission to the task force on rural education

Nov. 14, 2002 District of Wells submission to the task force on rural education

Editorials and columns about the school
1/2 page ad placed in Quesnel Cariboo Observer August 11, 2002 (51 Kb PDF)
"School buses" make appearances in Quesnel's Billy Barker Parade and the annual Wells Yatch Race

Presentations made by the Wells Save Our School Committee
at the public meeting in Quesnel on May 29, 2002
(detailed arguments against closure - yet to be refuted in any detail by SD28)

THE WELLS-BARKERVILLE SCHOOL - A WISE INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE
A Brief Presented to the Board of Trustees of School District on 28 April 11, 2002
by
THE WELLS SAVE OUR SCHOOL COMMITTEE
An ad hoc committee of concerned citizens, including representation from PAC, Wells and District Chamber of Commerce, and The District of Wells

Contact:
Dave Jorgenson, Spokesperson
c/o The District of Wells
BOX 219
WELLS, BC
V0K 2R0
250.994.3330

INTRODUCTION

The Board of Trustees of School District 28 has difficult decisions to make in a very short time frame. We understand your dilemma and hope this brief will assist you in making the best decisions possible. As a community we have struggled to assemble in just a few days, a cogent summary of the many, many reasons why the Wells-Barkerville School should remain open. We feel that we have a tremendous amount of information to convey to you; this brief will just skim the surface.

Our major recommendations are:

1. In order to fully analyse the situation, we recommend that the Wells-Barkerville School remain open for at least one more year or until the Small Communities Supplement is no longer received.

• Keeping the school open will net the School District $11,160
• Closing the school costs the School District $7,018

1. We recommend that School District 28 work with the community of Wells over the next year to develop a plan to operate the Wells-School in a budget neutral fashion.
2. Given recent decisions in the Terrace School District, and given no legal notice has yet been given in regard to the closure of the Wells-Barkerville or Narcosli Schools, nor any reasonable period of consultation undertaken, we recommend that the School District commit to working with the communities on alternative solutions.
3. We recommend that the School District give careful consideration to Option 3 of the LTFC’s report as well as the recommendations made my Roy Josephy of Richbar which indicate a number of less disruptive ways to realize greater savings than the proposed school closures.

Wells is poised on the verge of major expansion. The opening of the Jack of Clubs Casino on June 21, 2002 will bring 60 to 70 new jobs to the community. A federally funded Industrial Adjustment Service study is currently underway to prepare the community for anticipated rapid growth and housing shortages. The study has indicated that, in addition to direct employment from the casino, there will be a number of new business opportunities and indirect jobs created. International Wayside will continue their drilling program this summer with the potential of new mine development. The Province has renewed its commitment to maintaining Barkerville as one of our premier heritage attractions with the expansion of their operating season into September. It is expected that within 2 years the enrollment of the Wells-Barkerville School will have increased significantly. This current information is not reflected in SD 28 enrollment projections.

As a Community School, the Wells-Barkerville is used by the entire community (see Appendix 1 for a complete listing). This additional use generates revenue for School District 28, which does not appear to be reflected in the budget information you have received. These uses and potential new uses can generate additional revenue in the future, but we need time to investigate these options.

We feel confident that within five years, enrollment at the Wells-Barkerville School will have dramatically increased and the school will be able to operate in a budget neutral fashion, even without the Small Communities Supplement.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Operating Budget for Wells School

We have compiled an operating budget for the WB School based on "SD 28 2002/03 Provisional Budget, April 3", as well as verbal and written information from Ed Coleman, Tim Klotz and Barb Cirotto.

REVENUES - Chart 1

When a realistic percentage infrastructure and services is used (that is more reflective of actual costs), the WB School generates a surplus of $11,160, which becomes part of SD 28’s general revenue.

It is clear that the only financial benefit of closing the Wells-Barkerville School is the questionable (both ethically and legally) shifting of the Small Communities Supplement of $100,000 for the Wells School to general revenue.

However, even if the Wells school is closed the $100,000 will not be realized. A number of confirmed revenues will be lost.

Summary of Lost Revenues - Chart 2

This figure does not include other potential lost revenues:

• the potential of home schooling parents to register their children outside the school district as some have indicated they will. This could amount to 6 x $250 = $1,500.
• The loss of income from families who chose not to relocate into the school district for upcoming job opportunities. (We know of three families this affects immediately.)
• Lost revenue in 2003/2004 from at least two students entering the system who will be home schooled.

In addition there will be costs to mothball and maintain the existing building.

Summary of Ongoing Maintenance Costs - Chart 2

The total cost of closing the Wells-Barkerville School would be $107,018. This net cost would be reduced to $7,018 if it was deemed ethical and found legal to shift the Small Community Supplement of $100,000 for the Wells School to general revenue.

Opportunities for Future Revenue Generation and Savings

The community of Wells looks forward to working with School District 28 to ensure that the Wells-Barkerville School operates in a efficient and cost effective way. As a community school, we have many different groups using the school (for a complete list, see Appendix I). Some groups pay, others make in-kind donations, others receive free use. There are opportunities to generate additional revenues through this type of use:

• We have long shared the vision of the your own Long Term Facilities Review Committee who suggested not that the WB School be closed, but that it could be developed as a destination school.
• Re-examine user group fees
• Better marketing of school billeting facilities
• Training programs
• Continuing Education
• Cariboo-Chilcotin Learning Network (Internet user fees)

There are also some opportunities to realize savings in operating the school. Ideas that could be explored are:

• Explore alternative models for delivering maintenance (e.g. utilizing a local employee for routine maintenance duties; contract grounds maintenance to local person as per snow removal)
• Explore energy savings programs (Power Smart, Green Buildings, alternative fuels)
• Reduce or eliminate principal position
• Develop community partnerships in implementing utility cost reduction programs (e.g. reduction of District of Wells user fees)

It is obvious that as long as the Small Communities Supplement is available, it is in School District’s best financial interests to keep the Wells School open and to work with the community of Wells to realize even greater savings that can then be applied to the District’s deficit. We feel that working together to keep the Wells school open we could contribute a minimum of $20,000/year to deficit reduction through cost savings and revenue generation. On the other hand, if the school is closed, it will add to your deficit situation.

OTHER REASONS TO KEEP SCHOOL OPEN

Relative Impacts

While we understand the Board’s desire to minimize disruption, closing the Wells-Barkerville School and the Narcosli school will submit a small number of children to an unacceptable level of disruption. In your own "Guiding Principles for Budget Decisions (pg. 1.4) you indicated that you will centre your decisions first and foremost on student needs. Option 3 and additional suggestions made by Richbar PAC spread an acceptable level of disruption more evenly throughout the District.

Wells students, some as young as 5, would rise at 5:45 am and not return home until 4:30 pm, leaving only a short window for eating and family interaction. Extra curricular activities that they now enjoy such as curling and cross-country skiing would be impossible. (See Appendix II)

Accreditation

The Wells-Barkerville school has completed the accreditation process, a large expense to the School District which has already been completed.

Recent Improvements to Building

Considerable capital outlay has been made in the past 2 years on building improvements.

Economic Development

These school closures also threaten the viability of an entire municipality and a rural community. For the Jack of Clubs casino to try to attract new employees for upcoming jobs, for the RCMP to recruit detachment staff, for Barkerville, Argo and other businesses to recruit and retain employees will become extremely difficult. The closure of the school, where Island Mountain Arts holds most of its programs, threatens their viability. The annual economic impact of IMA was measured in 1997. IMA contributes 11.76 person years of direct, indirect and induced employment impact to the local economy (including Quesnel) as well as an income impact of $236,359.

Conclusion

As a community we will commit to working with School District 28 to reduce our operating costs. The District of Wells has indicated they will examine the possibility of making a substantial reduction to user fees for the school property. The PAC and other community groups will examine ways to generate additional revenue, increase school use. Marketing the Wells Barkerville School as a special destination school (for the arts or outdoor adventure) is an idea the community is eager to pursue. What we ask in return is the time to develop a plan. Our figures show that it makes sense to keep the school open for at least another 2 years during which the Small Communities Supplement is assured. We will use this window to continue to develop the Community School business plan as we have since February 2000. This will ensure that the operation of the Wells-Barkerville School remains budget neutral.

We hope you will give the information in this brief seriously consideration. We have had less than 2 weeks since we learned that closure of the Wells-Barkerville School was being considered. We have made every effort to make the information concise and accurate.

Appendix I

COMMUNITY USE OF THE WELLS SCHOOL - Chart 3

Appendix II

CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUSSING CHILDREN FROM WELLS - Chart 4

Notes:

• Total time out of community per day with bussing = just under 10 hours
• Bussing children requires them to move out of step with the clock schedule of their community. I.e. Rising at 5:45 am and missing evening community events because of evening routines which see them in bed by 7:45. Our high school children already suffer from this isolation from the community although they have more time flexibility due to maturity.
• Primary children as young as 5 years old are isolated from the support of parents who would have over a one hour response time in the event of sickness, injury or emotional crisis in school or during transport.
  Primary children would presumably be bussed with Secondary School children resulting in possible conduct issues and poorly supervised socializing times on the bus.
• Primary children may encounter bowel or urinary needs during the protracted bus times.
  Primary children would be exposed to increased hazards due to wildlife on road, snow storms, ice, darkness.
• Loss of parental support and community mentors to school. Our children presently enjoy frequent interaction with many community members in the school setting through volunteer work in meals program, skiing, curling, music and other special events which occur during school hours. This will be lost.

Most parents in our municipality find this situation intolerable and indicate their commitment to their children’s mental and emotional well being by choosing to home school or move from the district. This has additional ramifications as expressed elsewhere.
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