Bonnyville parents in the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) are breathing a sigh of relief, after the board of trustees decided to keep grade configurations the same.
During their April 19 meeting, trustees voted in favour of maximizing space at Notre Dame Elementary School (NDES) to create two new instructional spaces instead of moving around the grades. The decision will also allow for the preschool to continue to operate out of its current space at the elementary school.
“Our recommendation focuses on the issue of space rather than the elimination of a program,” said superintendent Joe Arruda. “We wanted to take into consideration all of the feedback from our stakeholders and meet all of the diverse needs of our children from all of our families. I'm not going with what that majority wants, I'm trying to be inclusive to meet the needs of everyone.”
The issue of reconfiguring LCSD's Bonnyville schools arose earlier this year, with projected enrolment numbers showing the district would need to create two new instructional spaces in NDES.
Originally, the two proposals presented included changing NDES to a Kindergarten to Grade 3 school, moving the Grade 4 students to Dr. Brosseau, and Notre Dame High School (NDHS) would house Grade 8 to 12. The second option would see Dr. Brosseau take in Grade 4, but the Grade 8 students would have remained in the school as well.
At the end of March, district administration and trustees hosted a parent engagement session to garner feedback on the ideas. It was quickly evident that the reconfiguration was a point of contention, with many families stating their extreme disapproval for the changes.
Following the open house, a survey was available online for parents to their thoughts and comments.
Of the 116 parents that participated in the survey, only nine per cent supported option one – having Grade 4 move to Dr. Brosseau and Grade 8 move to the high school. For option two, 69 per cent of parents said that was their preferred choice out of the two, however, 15.5 per cent of them still had reservations.
Part of the survey also allowed for respondents to leave their own ideas. Thirty per cent stated they wanted to see the preschool moved to another location, suggesting places such as the Parent Link Centre, C2, Dr. Brosseau or NDHS. Along with a variety of alternative suggestions, such as remodelling the schools, moving Grade 4 or 8 to the C2, and offering half-time Kindergarten, a total of 24 per cent of parents said keep the grades the same and make it work.
After reviewing all of the feedback, there were two new options developed that reworked existing space within NDES. The option the board agreed with will see two new classrooms created by erecting additional walls.
“We will move the wall between room 24, which is a huge room at 45-feet by 27.5-feet, and room 26, which is 37-feet by 27.5-feet. The wall between these two classrooms would be removed and we will be able to create three classrooms from these two existing instructional spaces,” explained Arruda.
The three new classrooms will measure 27-feet by 27.5-feet each, which is around the average size of classrooms in the school. A second new instructional space will be created by dividing the present music room into two classrooms. Constructing a wall in the middle of the space will create two rooms at 21.5-feet by 28-feet.
The music room will be relocated to a different space near the preschool. Being in a room at the end of the school will make it easier for sound-proofing.
“This has not been easy, however, there is room for growth for all levels in our schools until a long-term solution can be realized... Our board capital plan includes a new school for NDES, and once that happens that will take care of all the overcrowding,” Arruda noted.
Pleased with the new proposal, LCSD trustees believe it's a “win-win” solution for everyone involved.
“We have spent a lot of time listening to what parents have to say, we have gone back to the drawing board, and we are proposing a new option that will allow all students to stay in the school they are currently in,” said trustee Vince MacDonald while presenting the motion. “I believe this is a better solution to meet our children's educational needs.”
