A final decision on closing Jarvie School and W.R. Frose School in Fawcett will be made at the May 14 Pembina Hills school board meeting.
Trustees passed two motions at their meeting last Wednesday in Barrhead to begin the process of shutting down the schools for the start of the 2014-2015 school year, with the intention of sending students from both to the new Pembina North Community School in Dapp.
Each year, division administration prepares a report detailing which schools meet the criteria for possible closure as outlined in Administrative Procedure 20-9.
Four schools were identified this year meeting the criteria: Dapp, Jarvie, W.R. Frose and Fort Assiniboine School.
Board chair Kim Webster stressed that they were not voting to close these schools, just starting the procedure to consider closure.
“We’re not voting to close the schools today,” she said. “It’s just the process to consider school closure.”
There was no further discussion on the motions to commence the closures, which were passed unanimously.
Dapp School was identified as meeting the criteria for facility space utilization.
The school’s utilization rate is at 49.08 per cent and the minimum requirement is 50 per cent.
However, Dapp School is designated to become the new K-9 Pembina North Community School at the start of the upcoming school year.
On Jan. 30, the province announced the approval of six modular classrooms and a major modernization of the facility, which is estimated to cost more than $6 million.
No date has been given for when the modulars will be installed, but the modernization of the building will be an ongoing project.
As such, administration’s recommendation was that no further action was needed at this time.
According to the report, Jarvie School and W.R. Frose School both met the criteria for facility space utilization rate. Jarvie’s utilization as of Sept. 30 was 41.84 per cent and W.R. Frose School stood at 34 per cent.
Jarvie and W.R. Frose both failed to meet enrolment requirements. Jarvie School’s enrolment as of Sept. 30 was 41 Grade 7-9 students, which is below the minimum requirement of 45 students for stand-alone schools.
W.R. Frose’s Grade 7-8 enrolment as of Sept. 30 is 15 students and the division’s minimum enrolment requirement is 20 students in Grade 7-8.
The report also detailed five-year enrolment projections for both.
It is projected that Jarvie School will continue to be below the facility space utilization rate of 50 per cent for the next five years and below the critical minimum enrolment of 45 students, with enrolment never increasing above 43.
W.R. Frose School is also projected to be below the minimum facility space requirement for the next five years.
The Fawcett school will also fail to meet the critical minimum enrolment requirements for K-3 students and Grade 4-6 students in two of the next five years. Also, it will be below the critical minimum enrolment for Grade 7-8 students for the next five years.
Financially, Jarvie School is projecting a deficit in instructional funding (the money schools use to operate) of $12,995 in the 2013-2014 school year and will continue to experience operating deficits for the next four years.
As of Sept. 1, Jarvie had $57,863 in its operating and technology reserves. While they will be able to cover the deficit this year, Supt. Colleen Symyrozum-Watt stated the reserves will likely be depleted within the next two years.
Although W.R. Frose School has more projected revenue in 2014-2015 due to the current size of its Kindergarten class, the school is projecting an instructional deficit at the end of the current school year of $11,479.
Symyrozum-Watt said the projected deficit is projected to increase to $42,000 next year due to losing six students and its operating and technology reserves of $54,148 will likely be depleted in the next two years.
Westlock Subdivision 1 Trustee Jackie Comeau asked what would happen to the reserves of both schools if they were closed. Symyrozum-Watt said that issue will be re-visited later because all three schools are currently in operation.
“There will be a plan for that should there be changes,” said Symyrozum-Watt.
Major facility work is also needed at W.R. Frose School should all three buildings remain open beyond Sept. 1, 2014.
She noted that the business case for the consolidation of all three schools states Pembina Hills’ instructional expenses will be reduced by approximately $320,000 by creating the Pembina North Community School.
Symyrozum-Watt said the division is estimated to save nearly $80,000 in transportation costs by consolidating the three schools. As well, the division will be eligible for an additional $30,000 in transportation funding from Alberta Education.
Trustees also approved timelines for a series of public consultations before the final vote is made.
Initially, letters will be sent out to all parents in the attendance area for both W.R. Frose School and Jarvie School. Notices of public meetings will then be advertised in the local media and in “conspicuous places” in both communities and local municipalities will be notified by letter.
Two public meetings will be held at W.R. Frose School on April 7 and Jarvie School on April 8 at 7 p.m.
There will also be additional meetings at Jarvie and W.R. Frose School on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Presentations will be made at these meetings by appointment only.
Symyrozum-Watt said some people are uncomfortable making presentations in an open forum and the April 15 meetings will give them a chance to speak. If no appointments are made by April 11, these meetings will be cancelled.
There will be a period from April 15 to May 13 for parents and community members to send in written responses to the proposed closure, and the motion for closure of both schools will be debated at the May 14 school board meeting.
If the board chooses to close these schools, they will then notify the Minister of Education.
It should be noted the board also did not make a motion for the closure of Fort Assiniboine School, which is serving as a K-9 school following the closure of its high school at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
Fort Assiniboine had failed to meet the minimum requirements for facility space utilization and Grade 7-9 enrolment.
