Report looks at shuffling students, possible Stu Wood closure
Stuart Wood closure is on list of possibilities.
NEWS — The Kamloops-Thompson school board will face more tough choices next week as it deals with staff recommendations to shuffle students, consolidate some schools and closely monitor others.
Among the possibilities is the shutdown of the historic Stuart Wood elementary, a spectre that was raised last year.
A report from Supt. Terry Sullivan containing the recommendations follows up on one that was circulated in the district in November.
Sullivan says students from Pacific Way elementary should attend secondry school at Sa-Hali secondary school to reduce pressure on South Kamloops secondary. SKSS would be consolidated into one building at the Munro Street site as of September 2016.
Sullivan also recommends a public meeting on possible consolidation of Beattie School of the Arts into one building at the John Peterson campus. The public would also be given input on the possible closure of Stuart Wood.
If Stuart Wood is closed, staff and students would move to Beattie.
Administration would keep a close watch on Westyde elementary enrolments “over the next several years” and might recommend changes to balance enrolments.
Dallas elementary would also come under scrutiny over the next few years. If enrolment continues to increase, some students might eventually be diverted to R.L. Clemitson elementary in Barnhartvale.
A committee would study future expansion of the French Immersion program.
Sullivan said if trustees have questions about the plan, staff could bring back answers for consideration.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
The proposed Beattie , SKSS, Stuart Wood reconfiguration plan makes little sense. The downtown area is a community with complex needs which this plan does not consider at all. The younger students from Beattie have nothing to gain from the move to a congested traffic jam daily drop off and pick up. Renovating John Peterson to accommodate primary sized washrooms etc. seems ridiculous! What is to be gained having K to 12 in one building may make sense in staffing administrators, but please explain any other benefits to the public. Is this perhaps just a vision of a few people? The potential transitions made will be tough on all concerned; families who live downtown having to bus up to Beattie campus on McGill, losing the core downtown “central to walking everywhere “school, the upheaval for all of the stuents involved. There has to be a more sensible solution!
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