Range Lake North School is a possible replacement for JH Sissons School if Yellowknife Education District No. 1 trustees decide to close its French immersion school and move the program to Range Lake North. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
'What ever is picked it will be disruptive'
Yk1 chairperson confirms N.J. Macpherson or Range Lake North students may move to make way for French immersion
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 15, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Students at either N.J. Macpherson or Range Lake North may be forced out of their schools to make room for French immersion students vacating J.H. Sissons School if Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (Yk1) trustees go ahead with a recommendation to shut it down.
The Yk1 school board is expected to announce a decision in December outlining what it intends to do in response to a territorial government request for a school it can offer to the French school board, which won a lawsuit in 2012 ordering the GNWT to upgrade its facilities in Yellowknife and Hay River.
The GNWT initially proposed that Yk1 give up William McDonald Middle School, which only had 169 students and a 38 per cent utilization rate last year. But the district's focus has since shifted to J.H. Sissons, which requires more than $20 million in renovations and would need to be closed for up to two years while the retrofits are taking place.
Yk1's facilities committee is recommending trustees close a school while maintaining a middle school and a junior kindergarten to Grade 5 French immersion school, according to a report given to trustees last June, but it doesn't specify which school would replace J.H. Sissons.
Yk1 chairperson John Stephenson confirmed yesterday, however, that the choice is between N.J. Macpherson and Range Lake North.
"Range Lake North and N.J. Macpherson are the other two elementary schools that would be candidates for the new use as the 100 per cent French immersion school," said Stephenson, adding however that, "the board has not made any decision on any of the recommendations or options related to school configurations or options."
Range Lake North is one of the most utilized schools in the district, which had 309 students and was at 88 per cent capacity last year. N.J. Macpherson was at 68 per cent capacity and had 239 students.
Stephenson said a decision is expected to be announced at the district's Dec. 9 board meeting, but he wants parents to reach out to him beforehand with their feedback and ideas.
Yk1 will be discussing the facilities report with its teachers later this month and will hold a town hall-style public meeting Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at Range Lake North School to gather additional feedback before making a decision.
Carolyn MacKay, who has a son in Grade 1 at N.J. Macpherson, said she feels trustees have done a poor job thus far informing parents with children in the school that they could be uprooted as early as next year.
"That option was never put forth in the public consultations," said MacKay. "My beef is that I don't want to lose an English programming school."
Cheryl McKay, who has two children at the school, expressed similar frustrations.
"The new (four) school option in the report has a potential drastic impact to (N. J. Macpherson) school," McKay wrote in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.
"I have received no clarification from Yk1, other than being told that no decisions have been made."
Stephenson acknowledged trustees are aware parents and students face disruptions, whether a five- or four-school option is selected, noting J.H. Sissons must undergo years of renovations if Yk1 decides to hang onto it.
"What ever is picked will be disruptive," said Stephenson.
