Grades to be reconfigured in WKel
The mayor of West Kelowna warned the school district around the start of the decade that there would be an inÁux of students.
“We told them six or seven years ago that we’re (West Kelowna) growing like crazy and they said 'really?’ They hired a consultant, who happened to be my sister, and it conÀrmed that more growth was coming,” Mayor Doug Findlater said in an interview.
Central Okanagan School Board trustees voted 5-2 in favour of a controversial proposal to reconÀgure the grades in West Kelowna at a meeting held at a gymnasium in Rutland, Wednesday evening.
This fall, schools will house kindergarten through Grade 5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. (The existing conÀguration is K-6, 7-9 and 10-12.)
More than a dozen parents spoke prior to the vote. Recurring concerns were overcrowding at Mount Boucherie and a small window of time to prepare children for a signiÀcant adjustment.
“Voting for this proposal tonight would start the clock ticking on a massive problem at MBSS in three to Àve years,” parent Matt Whitt told the board.
“What is the plan for MBSS in four or five years when there’s no space for additional portables and enrollment continues to increase?”
Teachers union president Susan Bauhart made a passionate plea to trustees to allow parents and students more than three months for a significant adjustment.
“The children need time. They have three months and our teachers, they’re concerned that they're not going to be able to do those students justice. You (trustees) all agree that students are Àrst, and I can not accept any money issue as being the drive for this.
“You need to respect the views of the parents you heard tonight. They’ve done a lot of work on this, it means the world to them."
Voting in favour were West Kelowna trustee Julia Fraser, along with Kelowna trustees Rolli Cacchioni, Chris Gorman, Lee Mossman and Lee-Ann Tiede.
SD23 secretary treasurer Eileen Sadlowski referenced an anticipated savings of $1.8 million in one year that would be allocated to portable classrooms if the status quo remained.
Gorman noted a payroll tax of 1.95 per cent and it’s unknown if the government will offer any form of Ànancial reprieve for school boards.
Fraser openly sobbed giving personal details of a family tragedy and how it affected her own daughter. She said services are available for children in need. Fraser said she "really cares," and was voting in the best interests of all children.
Fraser said there are assurances that leadership programs and year-end school trips for Grade 5 and Grade 8 pupils will continue.
Those in opposition were Peachland trustee Moyra Baxter, the board’s chair, and Lake Country trustee Deb Butler.
“We are being so short-sighted,” Baxter said. “This is short-term gain for signiÀcant long-term pain. This Àrst came to the board in January. We talked about it for the Àrst time on Feb. 1 and now, one month later, we are asked to vote on it.
“We have not done proper consultation. We have not followed our usual route in trying to be transparent and providing enough time for meetings, consultation, looking at what are all the options.”
Baxter then asked why school boards and trustees even exist.
“We need to grow slowly as you need to grow,” Butler said. “This could end up costing us a lot more money if we don’t get it right the first time.”
Superintendent Kevin Kaardal agreed with the criticism that not enough time was spent on the issue.
“We have not followed the best practices in notiÀcation and transparency,” he said. “We had this plan for 2019 but as we developed a budget for next year, we saw what the cost measures were.”
When asked why the meeting was held in Rutland and not West Kelowna, Baxter said it was the closest facility to the board ofÀce. She said there were other items on the agenda that might be of interest to Kelowna parents. (Although unconÀrmed, it’s doubtful there were any Kelowna parents in the large gallery.)
When asked by The Daily Courier if this was intentional to keep parents away, Kaardal replied, “No.”
Findlater, who attended the three-hour meeting, said he ultimately agrees with the board’s decision.
“They’re looking at it from a hard-nosed, cost perspective. It’s going to cost $1.8 (million) if they delay and they have other cost pressures coming — they payroll tax is a big one.”