Trustees vote 9-0 to close Stuart Wood

By MIKE YOUDS

Downtown neighbourhood groups say they are not prepared to give up a fight to save Stuart Wood school despite losing a round with school board on Monday night.

School trustees voted unanimously to close the only remaining English-language school in the downtown core, insisting that students’ education, safety and security, along with the cost of renovating the century-old building, gave them no alternative.

About two dozen people attended, hoping to speak directly to trustees at the last minute as a delegation. Some hoped that the board would defer its decision and agree to a workshop to find alternatives. Instead, trustees rejected their request to appear as the evening’s first order of business, suggesting it might set a precedent for other groups.

“What we’re looking at here is what we can offer that’s best for our students,” said Trustee John Harwood, suggesting students at Stuart Wood are hindered by a lack of technology available at other schools. Harwood said he had to put students first and it’s not his role to “support a neighbourhood, a business or a political agenda.”

Trustee Annette Glover said it was one of the tougher decisions during her 18 years on school board. “I couldn’t help but think that we’ve got to do this,” Glover said, having looked at the data. “Safety and education, these are our priorities.”

And so it went around the table as each trustee explained the rationale for a “difficult decision.” The board dealt with the controversial decision in two motions, the first one to consolidate the two campuses of Beattie School of the Arts into John Peterson campus, the second to move Stuart Wood students to the vacated Beattie elementary on McGill Road.

Beattie parents have been waiting for consolidation of K-12, which has long been recognized as the preferred model for arts schools, they said.

“As long as I can remember, in the early 2000s, parents have had a vision that they really want Beattie School of the Arts K to 12 in one location,” said Joan Cowden.

“It’s taken a long time. I think, from the public meeting on March 27, there have been concerns by McGill Road parents and I know in two years there will be a chance to address those.”

The biggest hurdle to that switch is the enrolment next door of South Kamloops secondary, which currently needs part of John Peterson campus for overflow.

“Our best guess is by 2016 we should be able to get all Kam High students into South Kamloops secondary,” said district superintendent Terry Sullivan. The replacement of aging SKS, which was considered the district’s next big project last fall, has been effectively scuttled by a new provincial policy requiring 50 per cent funding from districts, he added.

“We don’t have $20 million to $25 million to contribute. It’s just not there. The likelihood of that going ahead is extremely remote.”

As for Stuart Wood, the old school will be back in the City’s hands as of 2016, when the moves take place.

“It can’t stay as it is,” said vice chair Kathleen Karpuk. “We’ve already had multiple issues of students and staff not being able to access the school (when) they’ve had an accident.”

Heritage restoration grants are not available to school districts, Karpuk noted. Even if they were to renovate the building, students would have to be relocated for up to two years, then moved back.

“We are an amazing community that can come together and get things done,” said trustee Megan Wade, implying that Stuart Wood has a future in the downtown, only not as a public school.

“My issue is the current status of a school that is unacceptable as a modern educational facility,” said trustee Gerald Watson. “I don’t think we have the money to upgrade to a level that’s acceptable.”

Denis Walsh, a former city councillor who spearheaded support to save the school, said afterwards that they will carry on.

“It’s just a disappointing process, really, that they wouldn’t even allow us to have a conversation,” Walsh said. “I think the decision was made a while ago. I find the school board, in the past, seems to favour special-interest schools over basic elementary schools.”

He questioned whether the school district has done an accurate estimate on what it says would be a $4-million upgrade.

Derek Cook, a TRU political scientist, attended the meeting because he was interested to see what could be done to maintain a recognized element of urban renewal — downtown schools. He was surprised to hear the board rave about the educational quality at the school, then suggest that teachers want to clear out.

“To say that safety is an issue, they should be closing it today, so that doesn’t make sense, either.”

https://twitter.com/MikeKlassen/status/481306303902400512

EARLIER ALERT — Effective September 2016, the doors to Stuart Wood elementary school will be closed.

One by one, Kamloops-Thompson school trustees tonight (Monday) recited their reasons for voting in favour of closing the City-owned building, saying it was an education issue. The vote was 9-0 to shut it down.

About 20 downtown residents attended the meeting hoping the board would delay a decision to allow them time to present a case in favour of keeping Stuart Wood as a school, but the board rejected a request from the Downtown and West End Community Association and the Sagebrush Neighborhood Association to speak at the meeting.

Trustee Annette Glover made a motion to move Stuart Wood students to the Beattie campus on McGill Road effective September, 2016 and to close Stuart Wood as a school and return the building to the City of Kamloops.