If School District 46 (SD46) has its way, the aging main building on the Sechelt Elementary School (SES) site will be replaced with a new building, where a K-7 program would co-exist with community programs - potentially including a performing arts centre, a library expansion or local health programs.
At the climax of the SD46's school closure debate last week, the board voted not to officially close SES, but rather to amalgamate its staff and students into Kinnikinnick Elementary School this fall, pending upgrades to Sechelt's aging main building.
The board's motion further stipulated that SD46 would pursue a "Neighbourhood of Learning" for the SES site. This concept, according to the Ministry of Education website, is a partnership between schools and community organizations, "where people can access educational and community services under one roof."
The website notes some examples under the program, such as the $4.2-million Port Clements Elementary School and multipurpose complex in Haida Gwai/Queen Charlotte school district, which opened in 2007 and includes school space plus a community kitchen, community library, daycare, exercise room, seniors meeting room and teen room.
According to board chair Silas White, public submissions during the school closure debate revealed a strong community attachment to the Sechelt location.
"Almost everybody says, 'If you just had that [new] Kinnikinnick building on the Sechelt site, we wouldn't even be having this conversation,'" he said. "So that's a vision that we can't really let go of and we need to work towards."
SES is on the Ministry's capital list for seismic upgrades in 2013, and White said a recent letter from the Ministry mentioned the possibility of a replacement school on the site, but stated that the situation is under review.
And with a tight provincial budget anticipated on March 2, White said SD46 is looking to find partner organizations and "pool political opportunity" to persuade the Ministry to go ahead with the new building under the Neighbourhood of Learning concept.
"If we were to just say, 'We want to replace it, we've already got four school buildings in the area, we're in declining enrolment,' it may not be a strong argument, although we're already on the [capital] list," he said. "But if we were to say, 'We really want to pursue this Neighbourhood of Learning idea and get other organizations onside,' it's more appealing to the province for sure."
White said the process for obtaining a new building under the Neighbourhood of Learning concept first requires that a school building be on the capital list - as Sechelt is - and then continue with public meetings to assess the community's vision for a site, and find interested partner organizations. SD46, he said, will then send the Ministry a proposal.
White said he hopes to see the first Sechelt community meeting occur within the next couple of months.
"I would like to start talking to the community as soon as we can about what the community envisions for the site, and we would take that vision to the Ministry," he said.
