Families lives remain on hold while board waits for advice
Vancouver Island News Group - Cowichan News Leader And Pictorial
May 21, 2008
Opinion By: Sarah Westgate, Ecole Mill Bay Parent

Dear editor,

Postponing the school closure decision caught Ecole Mill Bay parents by surprise. …

The research is clear; transitions are bad for students. The numbers are clear; the Ecole students will not fit into Cobble Hill Elementary. And the community has spoken, loud and clear. We value schools in our own neighbourhood. There is a growing demand for French Immersion here and throughout the province. Closing a school and selling off that land does not make sense given the housing boom in the south end. Do taxpayers really want to pay premium rates in a couple years to acquire a new site and build a new school later?

It's hard to play the waiting game. Our lives are on hold. Where will my daughter go to school next year? Where will she go to daycare? Will I be able to work this fall? Will Dr. Southern hear us? Will our letters, petitions, emails, rallies, phone calls, visits to the board and the minister of education be noted? It's hard to be patient, but all we can do is continue to hope the outcome is worth the wait.