About 30 Saskatchewan schools are under review as school boards face declining enrolment and revenue.
Several divisions are holding public meetings and consulting with school parental councils after identifying facilities that should be reviewed. Few want to say these schools will definitely close, but that is a possibility.
Gord Stewart, chair of Prairie South School Division, said declining enrolment and inherited deficits from all seven of the divisions that amalgamated a year ago to form the new one have forced the board to look at its options.
Read Also
Food can play a flavourful role in fun summer activities
Recipes – popsicles are made with lactose-free milk and yogurt so are perfect for those who can’t tolerate milk, while everyoneelse will also enjoy them
The division, based in Moose Jaw, has placed under review Briercrest, Chaplin, Crane Valley, Eyebrow, Limerick, Willow Bunch and Ecole Ross.
Stewart said in its last budget the division recorded revenue of about $71 million and expenses of approximately $77 million. The mill rate went up and still didn’t cover the shortfall.
“We have enough surplus to carry that right now,” he said. “We haven’t enough to do it another year.”
Stewart said closing schools isn’t the only option to save money. Other possibilities include discontinuing some grades at some schools, cutting staff and increasing mill rates.
“These are the choices we have, none of them very popular,” he said.
Enrolment in the division has dropped by 1,000 students since last year and is expected to drop another 1,000 in the next 10 years. That means smaller grants from the province.
If the schools are closed, Stewart said the goal is to not have anyone on a school bus earlier than 7:30 a.m.
The board will continue meeting with school councils this month and at the end of January will debate a motion to consider closing schools or discontinuing grades. The trustees will then meet with the public in February.
Next door in Prairie Valley, the board held three meetings last week in communities where the schools are under review. It is holding more meetings this week and next. The 11 schools and communities involved are Lang, McLean, Gray, Odessa, Wilcox, Sedley, Kennedy, Glenavon, Earl Grey, Francis and Kronau.
Board chair Rod Luhning said people attending the meetings are eager to share the positive stories about their schools. They say they are getting good service and are concerned that the division is looking at their facilities, he said.
“I don’t think we’re going to go to a community that doesn’t value the schools that it has,” he said of the upcoming meetings.
But he stressed the board hasn’t made any decisions about closing schools. In fact, it will be at least three months after the public meetings before the board considers that question.
The declining population in southwestern Saskatchewan is also putting pressure on schools in the Chinook School Division. Earlier this month the board placed its schools in one of five categories based on their viability; six of them did not meet population benchmarks.
The schools are considered viable if they have a minimum of three students per grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, five per grade in Grades 6 to 9 or between 21 and 30 students in Grades 10 to 12.
The schools that didn’t meet those targets are Neville, Admiral, Tompkins, Climax, Piapot and Richmound.
This division will also have a three month comment period after public meetings before making a decision.
Saskatchewan Rivers in the Prince Albert region has passed a motion to consider closing four schools: MacDowall, Osborne, Prince Charles and Shell Lake. The motion was made after the board learned of projected and continuing low enrolment. The decision will be made April 23.
