A decrease in B.C. government funding to Merritt schools is fueling the possible closure of Coquihalla Middle School or a combination of Bench Elementary and Collettville Elementary.
Merritt residents learned at a public meeting Monday that Ministry of Education funding protection is slated to decrease next year from 100 per cent to 98.5 per cent of this year’s level, which creates possible shortfalls for districts with declining enrolment.
Nicola-Similkameen School District 58 staff predict the continuation of a startling enrolment decline which staff said is unsustainable given a new government funding structure.
“We estimated that we’ll be down 138 students in the coming school year,” said Superintendent of Schools Bob Peacock. “If you take a look at the capacity for all the schools, it far exceeds the enrolment that we’ve got.”
He said Merritt has the capacity to educate 300 more students under its current branch of schools.
Peacock proposed two options Monday that were initially discussed with the school board staff and trustees to mitigate the shortfall.
Option 1 recommends closing Coquihalla Middle School and switching the current grade divisions – currently at Kindergarten to Grade 6, then Grade 7 to Grade 8 and then Grade 9 to Grade 12 – to Kindergarten to Grade 7 and then Grade 8 to Grade 12.
The option would save the district approximately $350,000.
Option 2 suggests closing Bench and Collettville, while offering Kindergarten to Grade 5, then Grade 6 to Grade 8 and then Grade 9 to Grade 12.
The option would save the district approximately $500,000.
Despite the possible closure of Collettville Elementary, a French immersion school, Peacock said the language curriculum would still be in place elsewhere.
A decision over which option, if any, to choose is slated to be made by board trustees on April 18 after a public consultation period.
Kevin Black, secretary treasurer for SD 58, said the funding protection change is projected at an approximate $570,000 shortfall next year.
“Even though we had a surplus [last year of $5.2 million] that still leaves us short,” he said, noting $2.2 million is unrestricted.
He anticipates the district will lose $400,000 in each year after the initial blow until “we get to where we’re going the other way.”
Partway through the meeting, Fraser-Nicola MLA Harry Lali took the microphone and faced approximately 250 people in the audience who packed into the Merritt Secondary School Multipurpose Room, despite rumblings from the board trustees.
Lali said SD 58 should keep all schools open and use last year’s surplus to pay for the excess costs.
“If population increases, it’s difficult to get back a hospital or school once you’ve closed it,” he said. “I don’t think we have to close in September… You can hold off for at least another year and avoid the heart upset to parents and students, having to move around.”
The school board is also set back after funding for Grade 11 and 12 students decreased. Formerly, money was given for each student regardless of whether they were part-time or full-time. Now, if a student is enrolled in four courses the school board will receive half the funding of a full-time student, who is enrolled in eight.
SD 58 has scheduled to host other public meetings at the MSS Multipurpose Room at 6:30 p.m. on March 7 and 21, as well as on April 10.
“We have a hard decision to make around declining enrolment and budgets, of course,” said Steve McNiven, assistant superintendent. “We have to look at the opportunities and see what we can do for our students for the future.”
Approximately seven teacher positions are slated to be cut, though six were expected to be eliminated without school closure. Peacock said enough teachers are expected to retire, avoiding any layoffs.
An empty school would remain heated to avoid decay. The building would then be available for possible use for community functions, for example.
Enrolment began dropping in 2006.
