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Strong emotions

After attending the first of several school closure consultation meetings at Shady Valley, I was left with strong emotions and unanswered questions.

After attending the first of several school closure consultation meetings at Shady Valley, I was left with strong emotions and unanswered questions. As presented by the committee, all of the recommendations outlined in the Sustainability Report are based on the underlying "assumption" that larger schools (with maxed-out class sizes) will provide the highest quality of education for our children. As parents, educators and society members is this what we truly believe? I'm not so sure. I, for one, am not in support of this assumption.

We have a diverse population in our area. Many families choose a rural lifestyle and want their children to be educated in a small to midsize community school that is compatible with their way of life at home. We need to acknowledge that not all children thrive in a large school environment and that many experience more success in the nurturing, community atmosphere that a smaller school can provide.

Rural schools do have a valued place in this district. The province needs to change their funding formulas to make help make them more viable. And as a district, we need to consider all creative alternatives, especially reconfigurations that utilize the extra annual government grants that rural schools do secure ($133,000/rural school/year). I recognize the financial hardships and empathize with the difficult decisions that the trustees face, but I have to think that closing so many schools, devastating so many communities and displacing so many students really can't be the best solution.

K. Brulotte

Prince George


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