- Target:
- Edmonton Public School Board
- Region:
- Canada
- Website:
- www.secordcommunityleague.com
Winterburn School is facing an immediate over capacity issue. Edmonton Public School Boards has proposed 3 options to deal with this problem for the 2014 school year and going forward into the future.
The first 2 options remove Secord residents from being able to enroll at Winterburn School. Option #3 keeps Secord residents within the Winterburn School catchment area, redirects Grades 8 & 9 students and redirects the existing elementary Logos program to Youngstown School as well as deactivates the Junior High Logos program.
The community of Secord is located across the street from Winterburn School and is within walking distance for children currently residing in Secord. As concerned residents, we feel that re-designating the Secord community is not the answer to the overcrowding issue at the school. We are one of the closest communities to the school and recognize it as a critical part of our community. We strongly support our school and want it to remain accessible to our residents and children. Losing access to our school means that we lose a fundamental tie that bonds families in our community and it means our young students (Secord children are predominately 0-6 years old) will be bussed to more distant schools. For several members of our community, this means that we can no longer benefit from a school that was a critical factor in making our decision to move to Secord.
An emergency Community meeting was held on Sunday, December 15th to discuss these issues and to come up with ONE VOICE for the community to present to the Edmonton Public School Board. From this meeting it was agreed upon by the attendees that we would present a REVISED OPTION #3 to the EPSB as follows:
We, the undersigned, as concerned citizens urge the Edmonton Public School Board to take action in implementing the following option to address the capacity issues faced by Winterburn School.
• Close Winterburn School attendance area boundaries
• Remove Out of District students
• Re-direct entire Junior High including grade 7 students (regular program)
• Deactivate the Junior High Logos program
• Adjust the boundary lines to include phases 1 to 4B of Secord in the attendance area. Subsequent phases would be re-designated elsewhere
• Keep the Elementary Logos program
RATIONALE:
• Re-directing all junior high students, rather than only Grade 8 and 9, will provide several benefits including:
o Re-directing approximately 140 students, and opening six classrooms, which solves the immediate overcrowding problem;
o Focusing the school on Elementary education for which it was originally designed;
o Offering Junior High students better opportunities; Winterburn School does not offer elective courses provided elsewhere;
o Bussing independent, capable Junior High students, rather than the younger demographic of Secord; and
o Integrating a natural transition point for Junior High students.
• Adjusting the Winterburn School boundary to include phases 1 to 4B of Secord’s development will:
o Address concerns regarding the capacity pressure that Secord’s future development imposes;
o Ensure currently enrolled Elementary students can remain at their school;
o Give Secord a presence in Winterburn School, and potentially, the opportunity for the boundaries to be opened up to the entire community at a later date
o Be more compliant with the EPSB Accommodation Policy point number 3 with respect to considering walking distance to school in determination of school catchment.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Secord to Remain Designated to Winterburn School petition to Edmonton Public School Board was written by Secord Community League and is in the category Education at GoPetition.