Starting this fall westside schools will have a new grade structure. The School Board District 23 voted to go ahead with: Kindergarten to grade 5, then 6 to 8 for middle school and 9 to 12 for secondary. The board voted 5-2 in favour, with chair Moyra Baxter and Lake Country representative Deb Butler voting against.
Baxter says she voted no because September will come fast and there wasn't much warning. "It's very short notice to parents and families and students...we had the first discussion on February 1st and made this decison on February 28th.
"Now the decision has been made. We all have to work together to make this work as best as we can...from the board of education, to senior staff and principles and teachers and parents, " said Baxter.
Until more space can be made at Mount Boucherie Secondary, grade 8 students at Glenrosa Middle School will have to stay there for grade 9. On the flipside, the board heard that by making the changes this year money would be saved by not having to bring in portables to elementary schools. Portables will gradually be brought in to Mount Boucherie Secondary instead, to make way for those Glenrosa students to eventually cross over.
Space will continue to be a huge factor in getting the entire school district lined up with the new grade structure. More middle schools are opening in the Mission and in Lake Country but Baxter says Kelowna needs another sceondary school. "We still have nowhere in sight for Kelowna. That's the one area where we have no idea when we'll be able to do this."