Parents oppose 2010 school closure plan
‘Open-minded’ board, others set to huddle again next week
Whistler Question
November 2007
By: Jennifer Miller

At least two parent advisory councils (PAC) in the Sea to Sky corridor have passed motions opposing various aspects of the School Board’s proposed calendar for the 2009-’10 year, which includes a two-week school closure for Whistler elementary schools and three weeks for Whistler Secondary during the 2010 Winter Olympics. ….“I hope that it helps the school board understand what some of the challenges would be during the Olympics for parents,” Jewett said of the DPAC’s motion. Since the proposed school closures were announced in September, many area parents have been trying to find out more about what kinds of child-care options might be available and what kinds of Olympic opportunities might be offered to students….

Municipal staff made it clear that no more child-care capacity is planned for the Olympic period, Jewett said. Only about 50 licensed, municipal spaces would be available in Whistler for the current elementary population of about 600 students, she said.

Almost half of Spring Creek School parents recently surveyed by phone said they would require additional care if schools are closed, said Carol Eberhard, member of the Spring Creek PAC who helped with the survey.

Unless more capacity for care is created, working parents who won’t be able to get time off during the Olympics will be forced to either quit their jobs or leave their kids unsupervised, Jewett said.

“The working parents will have no choice. They will have increased expenses, they will have increased stress and they may not have child care that is efficacious,” she said….

Surveys have shown 50 to 60 per cent of district parents would like schools to stay open. Such a split in opinion makes it difficult for the board to make decisions, Erickson said…