Honourable Mike Bernier, Minister of Education
Re: Osoyoos Secondary School Closure
On April 6th a tragic event occurred in our Osoyoos and area community when the School District #53 Board of Education passed two readings of their bylaw to close the Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) and bus 230 students to Oliver.
The final reading of the bylaw will occur at their April 27th meeting. The vote was 4 to 3 with the Osoyoos representatives voting to retain secondary school services in our community. In reality, our secondary school was closed by school board representatives elected in other areas that have no attachment to our community. One can speculate that they were looking after the self-interests of their own school services.
You are aware from previous correspondence that Osoyoos Town Council (Council) and the community as a whole are of the opinion that this school closure will have devastating social and economic effects on our community. This Board action is not about closing a school and moving students across town, this is about removing an essential core service from our community. Council is aware that the Board has the authority to inflict this grievous injustice on our community; however, Council is asking for a meeting with the Honorable Minister of Education to review the entire OSS closure process and seek the Minister’s intervention as identified in Article 168.03(1)(b) of the British Columbia School Act.
It is the opinion of Council that the closure of OSS is not in the best interests of the public and the entire consultation process was flawed, disingenuous and ill timed.
The closure of OSS was enabled through the approval and development of an oversized South Okanagan Secondary School (SOSS) in Oliver. Without the excess capacity in SOSS the housing of Osoyoos students would not be possible.
It is council’s position that public engagement related to OSS closure needed to start prior to the redevelopment of SOSS. This total lack of transparency in public process leaves the entire Osoyoos community dumbfounded and mistrustful of any Board decisions.
Council is calling on the Minister to initiate an investigation into the process that enabled the Board to develop, and the Department of Education to approve the oversized SOSS without public consultation. This investigation needs to include a vetting of information and process by representatives from Osoyoos.
The Board “walked through” a consultation process that asked the community to provide solutions and recommendations that would save money. The community was lead to believe that community generated recommendations would receive a fair vetting. These twenty two (22) recommendations identified savings that would prevent school closure; however, the Board continued on the path to close OSS. By all appearances when financial solutions were identified the Board appeared to integrate a “quality of education” platform into their closure strategy. Osoyoos parents are happy with their children’s education at OSS and there are no guarantees that the student move to Oliver will improve education. Parents are also very concerned that “special needs” and “at risk” students will suffer from challenges of daily bussing and disruptions that result from being taken out of their home community.
Many of the cost saving recommendations required the Board to further engage their constituents on a regional basis to find a regional solution; however, the Board chose the easy route to close OSS. Council still questions why an elementary school in Oliver can’t be closed and the student capacity integrated into vacant SOSS. This solution is far less disruptive and can assist in meeting fiscal targets.
Council feels there is a sense of urgency for this meeting with you and is more than willing to meet with you in Victoria or Vancouver. We look forward to a constructive dialogue that enables Osoyoos children to continue to receive a high quality of education and personal development in the community of their choice.
Mayor and Council
Osoyoos
signed Suzan McKortoff