Schools under capacity: Boudreault
Cowichan Valley Citizen
January 25, 2008 
By: Lexi Bainas

Parents were told there is so much unused capacity in Cowichan Valley schools that programs are suffering and will continue to suffer district wide until some schools are closed….

In a Power Point presentation, Boudreault went to some length to show that educational programs and services are stretched so thin that quality of education is suffering across the district.

He warned parents to be careful how they looked at how many students could be housed in a school and then showed how declining enrolment is likely to continue to 2015….

If the four schools closed, most schools would be at or near capacity. Catchment area boundaries might need changing, however, and space for the pre-school and daycare programs that are operating in empty spaces at schools would no longer be available.

"Of course, there will be an impact and it will last for some time," Boudreault said, adding, that planning for the transfer of programs would also have to begin immediately as it is very important.…

"It isn't just programs versus buildings. You can't oversimplify but there are competing forces here," Boudreault said…

Andersen said that, extensive as it was, Boudreault's presentation "didn't address the heart of the small schools. The board has made these 'schools of choice' and parents have chosen them, she said, adding the closure talk was "betraying what this board has built up over the years. I see it having a profound effect on programs this board has gone on record as backing."

Sandhu said, "our fight is with Victoria. We're funding empty classrooms, and programs aren't available to kids at our smaller secondary schools because of that. We should send a letter to the Education Minister asking her to come to our public forum. We have to deal with possibly a $2 million deficit next year. Where is that money to come from?"….

"I think there are real advantages to doing it this way," Boudreault said.