Aldergrove school faces closure
Today's Aldergrove Star has a couple of stories that are certain to become huge School District issues in 2007--the possible closure of an Aldergrove elementary school.
Star editor Kurt Langmann has the story on the District's new report on Aldergrove:
"The obvious conclusions are that there should be consolidations," said [District consultant Mike] McAvoy. "There are too many spaces and too few kids, and it's hurting everybody."
McAvoy provided some hard numbers, which showed that three schools are receiving annual per-student funding above the district average, and one is below average.
At the high end, Shortreed Elementary's $7,332 per student funding is $1,728 more than the district average of $5,604, and Aldergrove Elementary's $7,079 is $1,473 more.
Betty Gilbert Elementary's $6,093 is $489 more, while Parkside Elementary's $5,068 is $536 below the average.
I had no idea that funding differs from school to school. I thought each kid got the same funding. I guess that's one of those questions I have to ask when Jenny and I look to enroll Indiana in Kindergarten in a couple of years.
The Star has a second piece, written by Natasha Jones, on the same study:
His charts show that enrolment will continue to decline over the next 12 years. He noted that according to the Aldergrove Community Plan and comments from municipal officials, there are limited opportunities for extensive growth in the Aldergrove area.
This is because much of the land surrounding the town is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and the limitations on infrastructure for expanding water and sewer services.
Natasha hits the nail right on the head there. This is an issue that came about because of Township planning practices in the 1960s and 1970s and the introduction of the ALR in the 1970s.
Less than 12,000 people live in the Greater Aldergrove area. That's simply not enough for the community to be sustainable. There's not enough density in Aldergrove, and there isn't enough developable land. We are seeing the community's infrastructure begin to break down; the school issue is only the most visible part.
We need a new sewer system in Aldergrove, and our staff are looking at all the options. We should probably look at the community's water, which is supplied by municipal wells (in fact, this year's budget includes money to add another well). We don't have enough people there to sustain recreation programs, let alone a rec facility like an indoor pool. We can't get TransLink to give Aldergrove the kind of transit system it needs. Aldergrove kids basically have to move out of the community after graduation in order to pursue post secondary studies.
It all comes down to sustainability. We use that term a lot nowadays in regard to environment and agriculture, but the people (and merchants) of Aldergrove deserve to live in a sustainable community. If we could get their population up to 18,000 or so (like Walnut Grove), we could provide a lot more services and facilities. We could get buses. We could keep four schools open.
This is why, at the last budget meeting, I brought up the need to address the Aldergrove plan. The Township's plan for the community looks at "squaring off" the edges of Aldergrove, taking some unfarmed land out of the ALR and using it for higher density housing. Of course, the ALR and GVRD maps ignore that desperate community need.
Our planning department told me that it would look at the plan again once our engineers make their final recommendation regarding the sewer system. After the engineers and planners make their recommendations, our parks and rec folks can look at things like an indoor community pool.
We need Aldergrove to grow into a sustainable community. To do that, we need the Land Commission's help. It's time to put the errors of the 1970s behind us, and give the town what it needs to be successful, long-term.
The Aldergrove school issue is a wake-up call to every level of government responsible for this important, vibrant community. One thing I have always apprecoated about Aldergrove leaders, residents, merchants, and volunteers is their "can-do" attitude. They don't wait for someone to come along to help; they don't beg. They needed a Community Centre, so the Kinsmen organized volunteers and built one. They needed a sports park, so Rotary wrote grant application after grant application to get funding for one.
Now it's time for Township Council, the GVRD planning committee, the Land Commission, the provincial government, and the School District to show the same "can-do" spirit and make the tough decision to ensure Aldergrove is a strong community thrity years from now.
Star editor Kurt Langmann has the story on the District's new report on Aldergrove:
"The obvious conclusions are that there should be consolidations," said [District consultant Mike] McAvoy. "There are too many spaces and too few kids, and it's hurting everybody."
McAvoy provided some hard numbers, which showed that three schools are receiving annual per-student funding above the district average, and one is below average.
At the high end, Shortreed Elementary's $7,332 per student funding is $1,728 more than the district average of $5,604, and Aldergrove Elementary's $7,079 is $1,473 more.
Betty Gilbert Elementary's $6,093 is $489 more, while Parkside Elementary's $5,068 is $536 below the average.
I had no idea that funding differs from school to school. I thought each kid got the same funding. I guess that's one of those questions I have to ask when Jenny and I look to enroll Indiana in Kindergarten in a couple of years.
The Star has a second piece, written by Natasha Jones, on the same study:
His charts show that enrolment will continue to decline over the next 12 years. He noted that according to the Aldergrove Community Plan and comments from municipal officials, there are limited opportunities for extensive growth in the Aldergrove area.
This is because much of the land surrounding the town is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and the limitations on infrastructure for expanding water and sewer services.
Natasha hits the nail right on the head there. This is an issue that came about because of Township planning practices in the 1960s and 1970s and the introduction of the ALR in the 1970s.
Less than 12,000 people live in the Greater Aldergrove area. That's simply not enough for the community to be sustainable. There's not enough density in Aldergrove, and there isn't enough developable land. We are seeing the community's infrastructure begin to break down; the school issue is only the most visible part.
We need a new sewer system in Aldergrove, and our staff are looking at all the options. We should probably look at the community's water, which is supplied by municipal wells (in fact, this year's budget includes money to add another well). We don't have enough people there to sustain recreation programs, let alone a rec facility like an indoor pool. We can't get TransLink to give Aldergrove the kind of transit system it needs. Aldergrove kids basically have to move out of the community after graduation in order to pursue post secondary studies.
It all comes down to sustainability. We use that term a lot nowadays in regard to environment and agriculture, but the people (and merchants) of Aldergrove deserve to live in a sustainable community. If we could get their population up to 18,000 or so (like Walnut Grove), we could provide a lot more services and facilities. We could get buses. We could keep four schools open.
This is why, at the last budget meeting, I brought up the need to address the Aldergrove plan. The Township's plan for the community looks at "squaring off" the edges of Aldergrove, taking some unfarmed land out of the ALR and using it for higher density housing. Of course, the ALR and GVRD maps ignore that desperate community need.
Our planning department told me that it would look at the plan again once our engineers make their final recommendation regarding the sewer system. After the engineers and planners make their recommendations, our parks and rec folks can look at things like an indoor community pool.
We need Aldergrove to grow into a sustainable community. To do that, we need the Land Commission's help. It's time to put the errors of the 1970s behind us, and give the town what it needs to be successful, long-term.
The Aldergrove school issue is a wake-up call to every level of government responsible for this important, vibrant community. One thing I have always apprecoated about Aldergrove leaders, residents, merchants, and volunteers is their "can-do" attitude. They don't wait for someone to come along to help; they don't beg. They needed a Community Centre, so the Kinsmen organized volunteers and built one. They needed a sports park, so Rotary wrote grant application after grant application to get funding for one.
Now it's time for Township Council, the GVRD planning committee, the Land Commission, the provincial government, and the School District to show the same "can-do" spirit and make the tough decision to ensure Aldergrove is a strong community thrity years from now.