Between now and November, 2011, the parents behind the Oceanside Communities for Quality Education (OCQE) hope to send new candidates to run for the board of trustees in School District 69 (Qualicum).
The group was formed to counter plans to possibly close Kwalikum Secondary School. Those plans — first revealed last October — have since been postponed by the current trustees until 2012.
“Our goal is to create a report and recommendations to trustees and create working groups on what needs to be looked into between now and 2012,” explained Lynette Kershaw, one of the founders of OCQE.
She led a forum on Sunday, April 10, designed to keep the issue top of mind and to generate ideas from concerned parents and the public.
Kershaw said while the OCQE is more of an ad hoc group, the issue is sure to spawn candidates for the trustee election in November.
“This event is a venue for this public issue,” she said. “We want there to be an informed body that people can (contact).”
Sunday’s event, which drew around 40 people and saw more than half of the tables sitting empty, featured two speakers who have been working to save schools and public education in their own communities and across B.C.
Scott Clark, co-founder of Alliance of Parents and Partners to Lobby for Education in BC (APPLE BC), said there’s a pattern of underfunding and restructuring of education across Canada and in B.C.
“I took the chance to stand up in my community as a civic responsibility,” he said, “to ensure the next generation has a publicly-funded, adequate education system.”
Clark added the issue in Qualicum Beach has not stopped simply because the local school trustees have put off a decision on closing KSS until 2012. He added it’s up to local parents to ask questions and take advantage of this year’s federal, provincial and municipal elections to make change.
“This is a process,” he continued. “It’s not going to go away because someone signed a letter.”
Jessicas Van Der Veen, founder of Lets Agree Not to Dispose of Schools (LANDS) and a former candiate for the provincial NDP, said 79 public school-owned properties have been sold in B.C. since the early 2000s. She said, for her, the issue seems to be since school district need money, they are selling off land.
Van Der Veen called declining enrolment a myth, calling them minor dips in student numbers.
“We’ll go through cycles of boom and bust,” she said, “but we need to hold onto public school land.”
She blames the province for cutting capital funding and approving the sales of school land.
Van Der Veen, too, called for more political action this year — and for more stewards of public education.
Kershaw added the local group is set to meet with the school trustees on May 1 and said they hope to have more information and recommendations for them at that time.
“Our goal is to educate and motivate, share ideas and get people to continue the effort against school closure.”