Tuesday was the night the ball got rolling. Parents were assured time and again by School District 57 trustees that no matter how they voted, no school was going to close tomorrow, and no school was going to close even in September without a full hearing of possible alternatives. Voting to accept the recommendations to cut or alter the 14 schools named in the District Sustainability Report merely triggered a mandatory 60-day public consultation period. It was March 30 that was the real day the final votes had to be made.
About 500 interested people turned out to Vanier Hall to a special meeting of the SD57 trustees, who gave an unprecedented time allotment for public input.
What they heard was a steady stream of teachers and parents who urged them to keep their respective school open. There were tears, there were shouts, there were ovations, but through it all the audience stayed respectful and professional in their outpouring of emotion.
While applause erupted frequently, especially when speakers scolded the provincial government for budget cuts to the district, it had to be said by trustee Roxanne Ricard on behalf of the seven-member board of education that good feelings about a school were not enough.
"What I am not hearing is alternatives, and the reality is we have to cut $7 million," she said, admitting that her mind was not made up on the issue of what measures to take to get there.
"Are these recommendations carved in stone? No. Are there options? Yes," said trustee Sharel Warrington. "We will need your help to work through this process."
The three strongest categories of dissent expressed by the lineup of speakers were: keeping the district's French Immersion program rooted in a two-track French-English system (both streams sharing one school), keeping Central Fort George Traditional School open in its present form and location, and keeping rural schools open for the sake of entire communities who depend on them for holistic viability.
Trustees noted they had already received about 200 emails of concern over the proposed school cuts in the week since they were announced. Written submissions were indeed welcome and public meetings would also be held to gather as much input as possible to design the very best way of, all were reminded, cutting $7 million from the budget at hand.
