School District #27 (SD27) chair Will Van Osch says now that the board has released its summary of the public consultation results for its Initial Options Report (IOR), it can move forward with the trustees’ debates and decisions.
The summary is 268 pages long, and while the full report consists of approximately 1,500 pages, it includes some confidential information, such as staff comments.
“It has all the relevant information, but it doesn't have the information that's really only for the board's eyes,” Van Osch explains.
He adds the summary is also more practical for parents to review, either online or read at the school, than the massive report.
Meanwhile, the Kwaleen Parent Advisory Council (KPAC) and Russet Bluff Community Association (RBCA), both in Williams Lake, have filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsperson about the community engagement process surrounding the IOR.
The board's proposal to close Kwaleen Elementary School is noted as a specific concern.
In a related release, RBCA representative Kirk Dressler says his objections posed to Ombudsperson Kim Carter include the IOR process was not “procedurally or administratively fair.”
“The board has failed to adopt policy with respect to school closures to give clarity as to how it selects schools for closure, and what the specific processes for consultation and engagement are with respect to closures.”
Dressler also cites the trustees’ failure to provide detailed financial and other information relating to the proposed closures, and its refusal to disclose any details about other options that might negate the need for school closures.
“Significantly, the board has also failed to engage groups that have a right to be involved in the consultation process.”
In the same release, KPAC president Katie Dyck states the school district needs to know its parents will “not tolerate unfairness.”
Van Osch says it’s everyone's right to appeal to the ombudsperson if they feel an injustice was done.
“I guess they just feel somehow that the process hasn't been what they wanted, and are appealing to the ombudsperson to have a look at [it].
“It's a bit odd because the process isn't completed yet, but ... I'm not too worried about it at all. We'll just see what happens.”
Trustees will now put forward motions for staff to “delve into things a little bit deeper,” he explains, and will consider researching the viability of some options presented by the public at the consultation forums.
Van Osch says these may be new ideas, or perhaps those that could be partially implemented.