Open letter to MLA Bill Bennett
The Daily Townsman (Cranbrook)
September 5, 2008 
By: Trina Ayling

Open letter to MLA Bill Bennett;

On Sept. 3, your government announced $30 million in new funding for a "Neighbourhoods of Learning pilot project" to help deal with declining enrolment. The concept involves bringing together in a single neighbourhood hub "early learning or child-care programs, office or meeting rooms for non-profit organizations, health clinics, sports programs, family resource or seniors' centres, industry training, or branch libraries."

The neighbourhood school concept may sound familiar to you.

Up until this summer, Muriel Baxter operated as a successful neighbourhood school. For many years the building housed a distance learning school, two alternate educational programs, a daycare, a resource library, a physical fitness program for toddlers, a meeting space for service groups like the Boys and Girls Club, and a training location for other school programs like the Cranbrook Bugle Band.

For the past year parents, students, teachers and community groups urged School Trustees to reach out to government and/or private partners for supportive funding to maintain our successful neighbourhood school….