A Saskatchewan Queen’s Bench justice has reserved his decision in the latest round of a long-standing busing dispute between parents and the Prairie Valley School Division.
The dispute arose after the division closed the Glenavon school in 2007. The division said it would transport students to Montmartre as the next closest school but a group of parents wanted their children to attend Wolseley instead.
The parents sought a judicial review of the decision and an order for interim busing but were denied.
For the last two years, they have paid about $35,000 annually for a bus to send approximately 40 students to Wolseley while they continued to press the division for transport.
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Glenn Loffler, the spokesperson for the parents, said the group wants the judge to force the school board to consider a revised busing proposal. He said the proposal was developed months ago but the board has not allowed the parents to present it.
Previous proposals did not meet the board’s criteria but this one does, he said.
“We’re hopeful,” he said. “Our proposal is not fictitious. All three of the routes are in use today.”
The proposal includes buses to Montmartre, Kipling and Wolseley and would save the division money, the parents say.
Loffler added he is tired of being told about distance and cost. Wolseley is just a few kilometres farther from Glenavon than Montmartre and is the community’s main trading centre.
When Glenavon lost its school, the Rural Municipality of Chester was raising about $9,000 in education tax per student while the cost was estimated at $6,400, he said.
Last year, the rural municipality paid about $2 million in education tax despite having no school within its boundaries, Loffler said.
“I think we’re paying our way.”
Loffler said if the judge orders the division to review the parents’ proposal, the board members will see that it will work. Either way, the students will likely remain in Wolseley.
“The battle is over,” Loffler said. “The parents have made the decision. Our children have made a difficult transition already.”
