School boundaries survey draws big response
Early indications show wide interest in a Greater Victoria school district survey on boundaries, with about 1,800 responses coming in on the first day.
The survey, which opened Nov. 19, is the first phase of a process to examine the redrawing of school catchment boundaries, an initiative spurred by steady growth in school enrolment and a population increase in the wider community.
The Greater Victoria district is the largest in the capital region with 20,000 students attending 44 schools, and a projected increase of about 1,800 students over the next 10 years.
Catchment boundaries determine which students in a geographical area are eligible to attend a specific school.
Results of the review could mean the reopening of some of the seven elementary schools closed between 2003 and 2007 during a time of declining enrolment.
Those closings led to increased flexibility for students to transfer to schools across catchment boundaries and to attend schools of choice for particular programs, said district superintendent Shelley Green.
Key questions include whether to expand French immersion programs to more schools, Green said.
She said there is also a “high possibility” that Richmond Elementary School, closed in 2004, could reopen. It has seen regular use as a “swing school” for students while their own facilities get seismic upgrades, and Green said it is in an area “that’s very full.”
That includes nearby Oakland Elementary School, which has seen a steady rise in student numbers, she said.
The boundary review follows a 2017 effort by the Greater Victoria school board that put enrolment priorities on students from a school’s catchment area and on keeping siblings together.
Parents are eager to know what is happening, Green said. “They want to know what’s the consistency of the plan,” she said. “If you’re in one school, what would that look like if those boundaries changed? I think their feedback on this survey is going to be a critical element for us.”
Green reiterated the district’s position that no students will be shifted out of schools they are already attending.
“It’s more about the transitions on to the next school for those kids that are already in,” she said.
Plans call for the school board to look at the input in January. After a number of open houses, the trustees will determine new catchment boundaries in the spring.
Changes will not be implemented until September 2020.
The online survey is at surveymonkey.com/r/YVYHBHL. It is also available in print in English, Spanish, Filipino, Arabic, Mandarin and Punjabi, and can be obtained from the district offices at 556 Boleskine Rd. The deadline is Nov. 30 at 4 p.m.