No matter how many attempts a trustee with Prairie South School Division makes to stall the proposed joint-use school on South Hill, the division appears to be moving full-steam ahead.
During the recent board of education meeting for Prairie South School Division (PSSD), Moose Jaw trustee Jan Radwanski introduced a motion to have the division review the closure of Empire Community School and Westmount Elementary School and provide residents with the opportunity to participate in school closure reviews. He wanted this to happen before any land transaction involving PSSD occurred for the new joint-use, 1,000-student school on vacant municipal lands in Westheath.
Radwanski’s initial motion attempted to have the division conduct the viability reviews for both schools, but the board chair pointed out it’s no longer possible to have viability reviews at this stage of the project. After some editing, the trustee’s motion asked instead for “review processes” to occur.
Trustees eventually voted 9-1 against the motion, with Radwanski in favour and trustee Brian Swanson abstaining.
Review process needed
A review process would allow the community and stakeholders to examine the reasons behind closing the two schools and establishing a joint-use school at an unexamined site, Radwanski explained. He believed the process so far did not sufficiently promote the concept that only one public elementary school would be located on South Hill.
This is likely the first time that schools have been altered or closed and then re-established in another area of Moose Jaw, which means residents deserve the chance to review these moves, he continued. He also thought trustees’ decision-making processes so far have been too shallow for a project that is worth $50 million.
Instead of spending this amount of money, Radwanski wanted to see the money used to upgrade the gyms at both schools, along with other infrastructure issues. Money could also be used for other projects, such as expanding schools that are growing.
“I believe that closing two schools in well-established neighbourhoods does deserve some scrutiny,” he said, especially since the last school the division closed — École Ross — had greater public input. He added that the division needs to be more prudent with its spending.
Trustee Giselle Wilson was confused about the supposed lack of community consultation, saying she attended several meetings and spoke with residents of South Hill, who were thrilled about the project.
“I’m completely baffled that we’re still talking about this,” she added. “We have a great opportunity for students and families. We need to find a way to move on and move forward.”
This motion revisits the board’s decision to replace two schools with one new building, a decision that was made long ago, said trustee Tim McLeod. He pointed out Radwanski has been opposed to the new school from the beginning and should respect the democratic process.
Prairie South is one of four groups working on this project, with the other organizations being Holy Trinity Roman Catholic School Division, the Ministry of Education, and the project contractor, said trustee Lew Young. For some reason, the PSSD board table is the only place where this concern keeps coming up, as he has not heard any similar complaints from Holy Trinity’s board of education.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 6.
