VANDAL THROWS ROCK THROUGH MERRITT LIBRARY WINDOW SEE PAGE 3 Nicola Valley’s News Voice Since 1905
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TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
SPRING IS IN THE AIR Workers put the finishing touches on the City of Merritt’s downtown beautification project by adding shrubs and rocks to the new curbside flower beds. The project also included the addition of lampposts benches and decorative concrete sidewalks. Phillip Woolgar/Herald
Middle school closure likely outcome of vote By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
A Coquihalla Middle School closure is the likely outcome on April 18 when school board trustees vote to come to terms with decreasing B.C. Liberal funding, says the school board chairman. Staff and trustees with the Nicola-Similkameen School District 58 hosted the third of four meetings with the public and told the crowd of about 100 people that closing CMS appears to make the most sense. “Trustees felt we’d be as upfront with you as possible,” said Gordon
Comeau, chair of SD 58. “We wanted to maintain the benefits of elementary while maintaining the middle school [team philosophy to learning]. “To achieve this, we considered the closure of CMS as the best option.” The decision would mean elementary schools change from kindergarten to Grade 6 to kindergarten to Grade 7. Merritt Secondary School would alter from Grades 9 to 12 to Grades 8 to 12. He said the majority of people who relayed their concerns to trustees were in favour of closing CMS instead of closing both
Bench Elementary and Collettville Elementary. But many stakeholders were concerned the middle school “team atmosphere” would be lost. “The middle school philosophy is important to a lot of people,” Comeau said. “Others supported the idea to have fewer transitions.” Some of the issues about the ease of transition need to be sorted out. One student was concerned about how she will transition from middle school French immersion to high school, without attending CMS in Grade 8. However, MSS principle Bill Lawrence said the South Central Interior Distance Education School
(SCIDES) is the best option for her and similar students. Few questions came from the public at the meeting, and many spoke favourably about the tentative decision. A CMS teacher said she wants to know when teachers will know where they will end up. SD 58 Superintendent Bob Peacock said his staff will come to talk to teachers and clerical workers. “We don’t know right now where they are going to end up,” he said. “We will have a meeting to hear what their preferences will be.” He said every teacher will still have a job in September.
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Officials with SD 58 said they will continue to review any public input prior to making a final decision. A decrease to the expected number of students means less ministry funds. Funding protection is expected to drop by 1.5 per cent to 98.5 per cent. SD 58 faces a further challenge from the ministry’s decision to only cover costs to the equivalent of each course, rather than each student. The CMS closure would save nearly $420,000 per year, while the option to close Bench and Collettville would save $480,000 per year. Another public meeting is scheduled for April 10 at MSS. AC
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