School boards should consider options other than closure

Oct. 2, 2008

Across the province, school enrollment levels have been dwindling for years. As of last fall, 249 Manitoba schools were operating far below their capacity with fewer than 150 students — a trend that’s projected to continue into the future.

Up until now, school divisions have usually responded to declining enrollment (and the resulting financial strain placed on area taxpayers) by shutting down schools; indeed, since 1999, 38 schools have suffered this fate, with affected students forced to travel further from home in order to receive an education.

But on April 28, the rules of the game changed when Peter Bjornson, Manitoba’s minister of education, proposed a moratorium on school closures.

In a nutshell, the suggested amendment to the Public Schools Act mandates that schools stay open regardless of their enrollment levels, with exceptions granted only in specific circumstances and only with Bjornson’s approval. Going forward, schools would be expected to make use of any under-utilized space by allowing other programming to move in.

Bjornson’s announcement has provoked some grumbling from school boards over the lack of consultation — a legitimate gripe in that the proposed moratorium will have an immediate bearing on 13 schools which were currently under threat of closure in June 2009.

Those schools will now stay open, leaving already cash-strapped divisions with no choice but to find a way to pay for the continued operation and maintenance of half-empty buildings.

But even if the process by which the moratorium was reached was flawed, the decision itself is a good one.

Schools are ideal venues for all sorts of community initiatives. Child-care definitely ranks high on the list of options — not only because of the overwhelming need that currently exists across the province, but also because situating day-care centres in schools would help familiarize young children to the institutional environment they’ll soon become a part of — but certainly schools could also host sports leagues, recreational activities, community social events or English classes for new immigrants.

Rather than quibble about the details, school divisions should start considering the vast range of possibilities that could be implemented in order to make better use of existing buildings — especially since thinking outside the box could help draw in some much-needed profit.

It’s time to get creative with respect to our schools and the role they play in our communities. The infrastructure is there — all that’s missing is the vision.