To the Editor,
Re: Cedar school far from filled, Editorial, Nov. 5.
The current ‘consultation’ is necessary because the school board needs to change the facilities plan after making the ill-fated decision to re-open Cedar secondary, which effectively puts the entire district under further scrutiny.
The survey of Cedar secondary catchment students project a September 2016 enrolment of 202 students. Of those, 67 are current Grade 7 students who were never polled, but are assumed to be heading to Cedar versus following siblings. Realistically, the enrolment will likely be less than 202.
The capacity of Cedar secondary is 425, yet a faction of trustees stubbornly continue to believe they can sustain a high school that is less than 50 per cent full. How will they provide equitable education opportunities for students at Cedar? Course selection, timetabling, providing adequate supports and intramural and extracurricular activities all require a critical mass of students. Even if the school were full, options would be limited in comparison to other high schools. Why are trustees hell-bent to make cuts everywhere in this district except Cedar? They may consolidate elementary schools, but by re-opening Cedar, they further increased our excess capacity at the secondary level.
With the facts in front of them, does this board have a Plan B? Apparently not. Plan B should be keeping Cedar secondary closed and making educational decisions that are in the best interests of the majority of district students.
Barb HumphervilleNanaimo