Free BasilicoB次元官网网址檚 burgers served up with a side of protest petition helped wrap up another year of no answers from the provincial government on new schools for the West Shore.
A barbecue rally held Thursday afternoon at Belmont secondary drew hundreds of people to the school, most of whom added their signature to a growing petition calling for the Ministry of Education to fund the long-running plan to build new high schools in Colwood and Langford, and to sell the current Belmont land to underwrite the project.
Stephanie Longstaff, president of the Sooke ParentsB次元官网网址� Education Advisory Council, has hand delivered hundreds of letters of support for the plan to Minister of Education George AbbottB次元官网网址檚 office at the legislature.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l just keep bringing them in. We donB次元官网网址檛 expect much to happen in the summer, but weB次元官网网址檒l keeping bringing in letters until we get an answer,B次元官网网址� Longstaff said. B次元官网网址淟ast year they said theyB次元官网网址檇 have an answer in May, and May has come and gone. Parents are trying to keep this issue out there. They are tired of waiting.B次元官网网址�
Earlier this month Juan de Fuca MLA John Horgan, Esquimalt-Royal Roads MLA Maurine Karagianis and Belmont student Ravi Parmar met with Abbott to press the need for new high schools in the face of deteriorating Belmont secondary.
Horgan said Abbott understands and supports the plan, but the B.C. Liberals need to wait until the dust settles with the referendum on the harmonized sales tax.
B次元官网网址淭he plan is supported by the minister, the community and politicians of all stripes,B次元官网网址� Horgan said at the barbecue. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 quite confident weB次元官网网址檒l get it done when the government gets its fiscal act together.
B次元官网网址淭he tragedy of the HST is itB次元官网网址檚 created two years of uncertainty for the economy and for this project. If the government isnB次元官网网址檛 sure of itB次元官网网址檚 revenues, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to budget.B次元官网网址�
Sooke School District officials have been lobbying the Ministry of Education staff and various ministers for years, receiving neither a B次元官网网址測esB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址渘oB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� although it did receive a B次元官网网址渕aybe.B次元官网网址�
Earlier this year, former education minister Margaret MacDiarmid indicated to Sooke School District trustees that the ministry might fund one school in the short term, but not two. The minister also noted that many other high schools in the province are in worse shape than Belmont and have priority.
At the same time, MacDiarmid told the Goldstream Gazette that building two schools is only a matter of time, although it could be a long time. The Ministry of Education has paid $5 million for land in Royal Bay and $4.3 million to add land to the Glen Lake elementary site, both earmarked for future high schools.
The provincial budget came and went without funding for SD 62, but last month, Parmar, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Belmont, ignited renewed publicity for the project after staging a student walkout.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 gratifying to see how much support there is for this in the community. IB次元官网网址檓 doing this for my brother. I want to see him in a new high school,B次元官网网址� Parmar said, with his seven-year-old brother Rick, a Grade 1 Millstream elementary student.
B次元官网网址淲e want to keep up the momentum. If thereB次元官网网址檚 no answer in the summer, weB次元官网网址檒l keep working really hard at it in September.B次元官网网址�
ParmarB次元官网网址檚 sister Ravina, a Spencer middle school student, said her family is stunned but elated by the support and media coverage of her older brotherB次元官网网址檚 campaign to highlight problems of the aging Belmont building.
B次元官网网址淎ll I want is for my little brother (Rick) to have a good education in a healthy school,B次元官网网址� Ravina said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 really proud of what Ravi is doing. HeB次元官网网址檚 worked really hard, and I hope they get new schools.B次元官网网址�
Rally supporter Hans Fredrickson said he hopes that new high schools will be built within at least a decade so his kindergarten-aged granddaughter can attend a new Belmont .
B次元官网网址淚f it was this Belmont, I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be happy,B次元官网网址� Fredrickson said. B次元官网网址淢y daughter graduated from here in 1991 and it was held together with duct tape then. It hasnB次元官网网址檛 changed.B次元官网网址�
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
