Former school board trustee Jan Radwanski wants a comprehensive review of public education on South Hill before the new joint-use school is constructed since he believes there are still many unaddressed concerns.
Furthermore, he wants Prairie South School Division (PSSD) to examine any proposals for school closures and consolidations and develop public consultation processes before the proposed 1,000-student school is built in the city’s southwest corner.
The former PSSD trustee laid out six reasons why this comprehensive review is needed during a presentation to the board of education on Feb. 2:
- a lack of transparency and genuine engagement around the site selection;
- questions of safety about the proposed location;
- concerns about creating and sustaining community development in areas where PSSD operates;
- a lack of choice and options for renewal of existing schools;
- a loss of neighbourhood-centred early childhood education programs; and
- a loss of community programming venues for residents.
Radwanski said spending more than $50 million to construct a new school should be well thought out, especially when taxpayers have spent millions of dollars during the past 130 years to build schools such as St. Mary, Empire, Westmount and Sacred Heart that led to the creation of new neighbourhoods.
There has been no real public opportunity to review the proposed location, which would be the only option for school programming on South Hill, he remarked. Furthermore, Prairie South has not conducted a school review process to close Empire Community School and Westmount Elementary School.
The proposed site needs major infrastructure upgrades and traffic safety measures — all costs that the Ministry of Education will bear and that could reduce how much money goes toward the building and its amenities, Radwanski continued. Meanwhile, busing, private rides and traffic woes will all increase since 750 students will have to be transported to the school.
Schools are attempting to encourage kids to be more active due to increases in diabetes, heart disease and obesity, he pointed out. However, this new school means more kids will be driven or bussed, while easily accessible before- and after-school options would be eliminated. Extracurricular activities and clubs will also be nixed since students who live far away must take the bus home.
“Instead of quick and convenient access at Westmount, Sacred Heart and Empire for students to (use) football, baseball and soccer fields, city playgrounds, indoor rinks, tracks, and pools, we are relocating our best, brightest and enthusiastic youth to a postage stamp-size 10-acre lot with no resources … ,” Radwanski continued.
South Hill is a diverse, thriving community, especially around Empire Community School, the oldest continually operated school in Saskatchewan, he added. That school — and the others — deserves fair treatment while determining the future of public education in that part of Moose Jaw.
Board chair responds
“The board is aligned with Mr. Radwanski in terms of the need for engagement and has been actively doing this work for several years,” board chairman Robert Bachmann told the Moose Jaw Express in an email.
This engagement has included working with government officials and MLAs; board trustees and representatives at Holy Trinity Catholic School Division; the City of Moose Jaw; the public; students, families and staff at schools on South Hill; and school administrators from other schools in the city.
Prairie South plans to conduct a public engagement exercise in March with city hall and Holy Trinity as the next step in making the school a reality.
“We are proud that we have been able to successfully bring funding for a multi-million 21st-century school to Moose Jaw. I’m sure that there are other communities in the province (that) are envious that we have achieved this for our students, families and community,” Bachmann said. “We are proud that our children will be able to learn in the most modern (school) in Saskatchewan when it opens.”
