Facility renewal plan… again

Year after year our city grows and year after year our school board and senior administration fail to convince the Ministry of Education that their management warrants further investment of public funds. Secondary schools with smaller enrollments than many over-capacity elementary schools?  Secondary school sites open but not serving their neighborhood? Families in fast-growing neighbourhoods have to mobilize to overturn ill-advised closures? It's no wonder ministry officials have invested elsewhere. Even local private schools are seeing public money for new buildings, while SD68 gets passed over.

The City of Nanaimo once found itself in similar circumstances. In spite of a growing housing crisis evident on our streets, the province spent money for shelter in neighbouring communities, but not Nanaimo. When the citizens elected a new council not obsessed with hockey arenas, the investment soon followed..

The school board and senior management have historically proven unable to obtain Nanaimo's share of provincial infrastructure dollars. Will the same people performing the same focus groups come up with better outcomes? Not likely.

Let's put fresh eyes on this important foundational document for the school district, and begin to repair our district's reputation for mismanagement.

…The last time our district secured funding for a new school, the board of the day sent the money back to Victoria.

True story.

Our kids deserve better.