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Didn't get into RSS this winter ? let's figure this out
Submitted by csproule on Sat, 21/01/2017 - 8:40am
Hi everyone:
hey were a couple of parents with a 6 year girl old who should be in grade 1 at RSS. We went away this fall for some work and vocational training. By the time we arrived back home before christmas grade 1 at RSS was full. I have heard that grade 3 was full as well. .There is space at Webster, but i have a child who loves her close friends from kindergarten and community and we already switched schools once in the fall, so were not ready to go down to warfield. Its not that there isn't enough room for more kids next year , its just they do their numbers in September and they don't have wiggle room mid/year for people returning/coming/ moving to town. it costs something like $100k to add a new class.
I was thinking about the SD 20s "Plannning for the Future " when they restructured RSS. I believe the young and old families moving to RSS are the future. Where is the school and where is the space for our students to support that future?? There are so many little ones around now, strong start is bursting and classes are on the upswing. Also being a resort town, we have an amazing amount of interesting people who want to live here seasonally. Why would n't you want to move to Rossland for a winter season or forever ? I have heard that there were at least 7 other people who couldn't get into RSS, Are you one of them? are you interested in writing a letter to the board with me?
Do you have any ideas of how to serve the comunity better? How to get SD20 understanding Rosslands special needs? Should the board make a special case for Rossland , to hold more spots in the winter time for those people that come in to town. Should there be a guarantee that if you own a home you could go to school close to your home???
RSS is an amazing school and we want to be part of it. Were so devastated but am looking into homeshooling, a private option and or moving away. Please let me know if you couldn't get into RSS this year, or chose to go to Seven Summits for another reason and why. age of your kid, name , grade. or just sex and grade if you prefer to remain anonymous. i am looking for numbers and reasons, and positive solutions, not, so much bashing what should have happened 4 years ago or anger , ( although yes, i feel it) more about what can we do to make sure this doesn't happen to another family? Best,
C
Town: Rossland, BC 
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This is just devestating! I am born and raised in this town, and the lack of schooling now is so upsetting. We had 2 elementary schools growing up here, and one highschool. The BC school system has failed all of BC but a big majority of failure is in these small little towns. I hope that with the teachers winning this very large battle (yay teachers), and the millions of dollars that will be put back into our schooling will help all of these issues. I wish you so much luck with your daughter, and I hope that it works out soon for you!!
The provincial government has a cut off date in the end of Sept. early Oct (I don't remember the exact date) that they allocate funding to school districts for class sizes, is has nothing to do with SD20 or RSS. SD20, and RSS certainly empathises with your situation.
Funding per child is allocated as per what school they are physically at for that date. So, if you were in another country, province, or even city the school you registered your child at in Sept. is the school that got the funding for the for the entire year, it does not follow your child. This is why most families choose to move based on a school year for their children. It is the best time to transition a child because they will have consistency with a teacher, classmates, and a school community. They will also be able to establish new relationships during the summer off, and start to build a comfort in their new community.
Unfortunately, just because it is popular for families to move to ski town for the winter does not justify for the government spending XX amount of dollars to accomodate leirsure and pleasure.
I believe this is not just a BC standard as it is the same in AB, and ON. Funding won in the battle will effect class sizes, however have nothing to do with this situation.
The provincial government has a cut off date in the end of Sept. early Oct (I don't remember the exact date) that they allocate funding to school districts for class sizes, is has nothing to do with SD20 or RSS. SD20, and RSS certainly empathises with your situation.
Funding per child is allocated as per what school they are physically at for that date. So, if you were in another country, province, or even city the school you registered your child at in Sept. is the school that got the funding for the for the entire year, it does not follow your child. This is why most families choose to move based on a school year for their children. It is the best time to transition a child because they will have consistency with a teacher, classmates, and a school community. They will also be able to establish new relationships during the summer off, and start to build a comfort in their new community.
Unfortunately, just because it is popular for families to move to ski town for the winter does not justify for the government spending XX amount of dollars to accomodate leirsure and pleasure.
I believe this is not just a BC standard as it is the same in AB, and ON. Funding won in the battle will effect class sizes, however have nothing to do with this situation.
The above comment is accurate in that a school wouldn't get funding for a student who enrolled after October, but it isn't any school's policy to turn children away if there is space to accomodate them. The town hall forums surrounding school closures were packed, and the community offered dozens of solutions to the budgeting problem that did not involve a reconfiguration of RSS. Not only did the school board ignore these viable, wonderful ideas, but they sold McLean to the French school with the parameter that the building would not be shared with any independent educational providers (as 7 Summits was becoming a reality for those who wanted to keep their high-school aged children in town for senior education).
The government continues to fail our rural schools as budget cuts of $500 - $1 million have been demanded every year for nearly a decade. As you may have read in the news, some disctrict boards refused to offer a balanced budget, and they were summarily dismissed and replaced, despite the fact it is a democratically-elected body.
If you want to see a change in how important education is to government, you need to vote in the upcoming election - for someone whose children aren't in private schools - for someone who is not diverting public funding to aid private schools - and for a local school board who are committed to creative solutions for budget pressures.
Cheers Ida. Well Said!