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Prince Rupert Regional Information
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Again it was
an emotional evening At
least one Board member having to fight back tears: ‘I would wake up at 2AM and
couldn’t go back to sleep’ –picturing (in my mind) those kids – said Louisa
Sanchez – ‘I can not close my heart’ – thus vote Roosevelt remains open |
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In some ways like
the deer on wall ‘caught in the headlights |
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Port Edward Community
School Roosevelt
Park Community School Ecole
Westview Elementary School |
To add to
the drama the previous motions to close read & voted on in alphabetical
order |
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Thus
Port Edward given a reprieve as motion was tabled for three to six months
‘pending further information – the tabling motion made by Terri-Lynne
Huddlestone who was present by speaker phone |
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Roosevelt
was next to be debated |
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Bart Kuntz was the only
Board member speaking in favour of closing Roosevelt (and keeping open
Westview). Much of the
discussion here centered upon vulnerable students and how best the District
could deal with the problem. Kunz took the position it would be best to
spread Roosevelt students out among other schools. Tina Last, speaking
against the motion referred to BC studies that concluded ‘the single worst
thing (for vulnerable children) is to put them by themselves’ – thus arguing
for a group approach rather than atomized one |
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Closing
Westview – and opening a Middle School |
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For
Russell Wiens, speaking to the Westview motion, closing any school ‘was
unfortunate’, but Wiens saw the moment as ‘exciting’ too, for the potential future
that now opens: that Middle School concept becomes more viable |
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Tina Last
had some of the best summarizing comments: ‘If we do nothing (about closing
schools) will the situation improve? Continue to deteriorate?’ --- therefore
need act now |
Janet Beil
votes against closing any school |
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A
minority voice, Beil is skeptical of the Middle School model that is driving
the ‘need’ to close a school to increase capacity to (around) 85% -- ‘I don’t
think the government will support us to build a new middle school’ The
Final vote was 5-2 to close Westview |
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Time will tell but
this could be a turning point in Rupert’s local politics – I will go into it
later --- but the old ‘ruling elite’ did not get its way in keeping Westview open
--- ‘it was almost like a private school without the costs’ as one observer
put it ----- I would suggest presence of 1st nations advocates
like Leonard Alexcee, Sanchez and Beil was decisive --- and that is probably
only way 1st Nations will be heard at City Council level too – if
elect their own spokespeople |
The
bleachers were full |
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A
lot of people came to see what the outcome would be – there was little overt
crowd reaction – though one angry man did leave the meeting shouting
something like ‘so its about school equality? |
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My Turn to
Speak |
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This page has links to my previous See
earlier page and then my
previous on School closures – Roosevelt page
has links to previous years |
Created by LG on 24/3/2010
Last updated on Wednesday, March 24, 2010