Group hopeful schools will be spared
With elementary enrolment projections up 48 per cent, education advocates are hopeful two Regina public schools will be spared Tuesday evening.
“There’s never been stronger arguments to keep schools open than there are for Haultain and Dieppe,” said RealRenewal spokesperson Trish Elliott.
Media Release from the Save Athabasca School Committee
SASC - For Immediate Release
Sept. 18, 2011
The Save Athabasca School Committee (SASC) will be making a presentation to the Regina Public School Board at their meeting on September 20th in which they will be asking the Board to vote in favour of a motion to delay the disposal of Athabasca School and surrounding property for a period of at least one year.
The Committee has presented the Board with a report titled “Schools as Community Hubs” investigating the “hub model” as an alternative to the disposal of Athabasca School.
“There has been keen interest expressed from the community in regard to exploring the possibilities that such a project may provide for our area and we need an extended period of time to determine the needs and desires of our residents and to ascertain if the hub model is viable in this instance. Therefore, it is vitally important that the Athabasca building and site be kept in tact while this process takes place,” said Bob Hughes, SASC member. “We hope that the Regina Public School Board will be interested in being a partner in this opportunity.”
The “Schools as Community Hubs” report was produced for us by researcher Dianna Graves with funding and support from the University of Regina Research Unit
Latest release
For immediate release Sept. 7, 2011
Regina schools growing too large
The Regina Public School Board is right to flag concerns about Regina schools growing too large under its 10 Year Plan, according to a parent advocacy group.
“Research shows the smaller the school, the better the outcomes,” said Trish Elliott of RealRenewal. “This is especially true for schools serving low income areas – and those are exactly the areas where they are pulling out smaller schools.”
Regina had four elementary schools of over 400 in 2010. This is projected to rise to 11 schools by the end of the 10 Year Plan, including five schools over the 500 mark.
Elliott noted the board’s own research suggested a maximum enrolment of 400 for elementary schools, and 300 for schools serving vulnerable populations.
“We are especially concerned to see more than half of our remaining community schools – schools specifically identified as serving vulnerable populations – heading over the 300 mark,” Elliott said.
“What works for students in larger, high-income suburban neighbourhoods doesn’t necessarily work for students in Regina’s central neighbourhoods. Elliott said. “We need flexibility to help stabilize these schools and their surrounding communities.” Haultain is an example of a designated community school that is an important social anchor in a low income neighbourhood, she said.
Elliott welcomed a reprieve for Martin Collegiate and a review of highschools. “This is an opportunity to level out the bulges in the system by adding popular programs like French Immersion to highschools with lower enrolment,” she said.
She also commended the board for making the McDermid-Imperial merger contingent on provincial funding, rather than moving ahead with a facility closure without funds for a replacement school, as was the case for Athabasca.
But she flagged concerns about some of the long range plans. “Suggesting that Balfour Collegiate could be ‘re-located’ to the southeast is a bit of a stretch. Most people would recognize that as a closure, not a relocation,” she said.
“Regina people need to think about how their city is developing, and the provincial government must respond with appropriate resources for schools so that it doesn't become a game of take-away,” Elliott said.
“We need smart growth to maintain the features that make Regina a great place to live, like schools kids can walk to,” she said.
Statement on Educational Assistants cuts
Additional background information
Media Contact
RealRenewal spokesperson:
Trish Elliott
patricia.elliott@uregina.ca
Tel: 306 585 4449
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