At community consultations on June 12-13 at Rochester and Grassland schools, respectively, Aspen View Schools board members assured concerned citizens that funding for each school is guaranteed for the 2013ñ2014 school year.
Rochester
More than 40 Rochester community members attended the June 12 meeting, as did several Aspen View trustees. Some members of the public expressed frustration that the board will not commit to a longer period of assured funding to mitigate the perception that the school may be shut down.
ìEveryone has this preconceived notion that the school is closing,î said one audience member. ìWe need a different message.î
Superintendent Brian LeMessurier and chair of the board of trustees, Brian Bittorf, opened the evening with a presentation on positive developments in the division, such as growing enrolment in outreach schools where disenfranchised students have greater graduation rates. LeMessurier then outlined the challenges facing several schools. This included Rochester School, where enrolment is projected to drop in the coming year by 18 students. The total Kindergarten to Grade 9 population is projected at 64 students for September 2013.
An audience member said it was difficult to sit through a presentation about the great things going on elsewhere when most in the room were concerned with the fate of Rochester School.
Another asked why the board only presented projected enrolment for the coming school year instead of five or 10 years down the road, pointing out that enrolment may be in a slump and could rise in the future.
LeMessurier said long-term projections, though not included in the presentation, did not show growth.
One community member wondered if the new school Aspen View hopes to build near the Multiplex might affect the boardís judgment.
ìIs there a minimum school population that this projectís viability is dependent on? Could that threshold affect decisions on keeping Grassland and Rochester open?î he asked.
LeMessurier said closing those schools to bolster enrolment in another has ìnot been a part of the conversation.î
In fact, he said, the board sees value in keeping rural schools open, even in periods of low enrolment.
ìI think we all know that out here in rural Alberta, we canít hop in a van and be at the Space and Science Centre like a student can (in a city),î said LeMessurier, stressing that there are other advantages in the country that cities do not possess.
He encouraged everyone present to consider strategies to grow student population, such as attracting homeschoolers.
ìRemind them how good things are here,î LeMessurier extolled.
He applauded the schoolís fundraising efforts to date, including renting space to private business and launching a program called Growing Student Opportunity, which uses money from the sale of designated crops as school revenue.
ìYouíre guaranteed next year,î said Bittorf. ìIf program works well, the board will take note.î
Grassland
Grassland School has fallen below critical minimum enrolments in some grades; however, Aspen View is committed to keeping the school open.
ìThis board has not talked about closure for your school,î superintendent Brian LeMessurier said during a community consultation at Grassland School last Thursday.
Over the years, student numbers have dropped.
LeMessurier explained in 2004 the school had 179 students, whereas it is projected the school will have 96 students come the fall.
ìNo one planned it, no one is to blame, but it is something we have to deal with,î he said. ìI believe your kids get a very good quality education here, and I believe they are going to continue to get a very good quality education here.î
Grassland School was built to accommodate more than 200 students, but with less than 100 in attendance, the school board is looking at ways to keep costs down.
ìA loss of 13 students is projected for the upcoming school year,î LeMessurier said, ìThat is a loss of approximately $84,500.î
LeMessurier said he hopes the new schedule for Grassland School will attract some of the students Grassland has lost to other schools in past years.
