EIPS Trustees Request Superintendent to Present Final Report on Andrew School

EIPS Trustees Request Superintendent to Present Final Report on Andrew School

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

On April 20 Elk Island Public Schools Superintendent Mark Liguori verbally presented a detailed information report on the potential closure of Andrew School to the board of trustees.

His report followed two presentations by delegates Merwin Haight, Village of Andrew Mayor and Tammy Pickett, Village of Andrew Deputy Mayor. Also in attendance were Andrew School Advisory Council President Dayle Juhasz and Secretary Kylie Rude and her infant son.

Haight and Pickett were each allotted five minutes for their presentations. Haight used his time to provide an overview of the Village of Andrew that was established in 1902 and incorporated in 1930. He said the community is the hub for the northeast area of Lamont County and provides service to 16 percent of the residents within Lamont County and residents within Two Hills County including the hamlets of Whitford, Willingdon, Hairy Hill, Wostok, St. Michael and Shandro along with many other smaller clusters of residents within the surrounding area.

“Andrew School is not just a school nor just a building that can be calculated, measured and quantified, it is more than that! Andrew School is part of a larger living community. It is here where the values of money can not be applied to this situation. It is here that the hub of the community takes form and becomes like a heartbeat to all who experience it,” stated Haight.

He noted that the building is not just a school, but a multiplex that is home to the public library, multipurpose room, weight room, exercise room, sauna room, bowling alley as well as council chambers and administrative offices. “Closing this school would put a significant strain on the Village of Andrew as the current agreement with EIPS will require the relocation of all of the mentioned facilities.”

Haight pointed out that village council had banked almost $500,000 for the repairs needed over the last 20 years and has the current capacity to borrow up to $1.2 million. He also asked if the Village of Andrew could “This will require public consultation, not just the village residents, but also with Lamont County as it involves various joint use agreements.”

He also asked if the Village of Andrew could request permission to obtain other estimates for the roof repairs now that it is clear of snow.

Pickett asked how many of the trustees had visited the facility and Trustee Bill Irwin raised his hand. She, along with Haight invited all of the trustees to tour the building along with the village so they could get a “true feeling” of the school.

“The sprinkler system flooded in 2003. By code, annual maintenance is completed on fire systems. These deficiencies have been known for 20 plus years, including the roof, which I like to add, is mainly isolated around the south side of the building.”

Tammy Pickett, Merwin Haight and Kylie Rude.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Pickett questioned why repairs weren’t included in the school division’s capital plan considering cost estimates date back to January of 2017. Those estimates totalled $305,000 with an additional $680,000 in maintenance and renovations in 2015.

As for the recent decline in enrolment by stating, “Unfortunately, many parents were being proactive knowing the school was closing, therefore registered in alternate schools. You can not have parents register in a school with anticipation it may be open come September. Those parents need the stability within their work schedule, or basic life agendas ahead of time. Your declining numbers fluctuated due to the high concerns of a closure.”

She also asked why EIPS had “made it so easy, accommodating and enticing in so many ways, including financially with bussing fees, to remove students from their/our designated school?”

Following discussion and questions from trustees, Board Chair Trina Boymook commented. “You know, it’s just been really disheartening…Initially, a number of years ago when the recommendation came to us to close the junior and senior high portion of the school and move forward with an elementary school, and our trustee for the area had brought a motion and had asked for a provision that we would only look at the senior high only, and not the junior high.

At the time it was like you know we could do this but people vote with their feet and we knew that we’re going to have to be back here in another year having this same conversation again. That was the understanding of the board; give that time, and we were very clear in those public consultations around the importance to commit to the school and the position if the community wasn’t willing to make those commitments.

It was really hard to get the numbers of our enrolment at the end of September that year and they took their kids out of the junior high in large numbers which then resulted in us having to move forward with consideration of the closure of the junior high. At that time, we promised the community that with what we have here we feel that we can provide you with a quality elementary and we were not concerned. Again, what seems to be happening here is that we’ve got people voting with their feet again, which is really disheartening because it was never our intent to be back in this conversation again with this particular school because we really did feel that. We were celebrating last year when the numbers were stronger than projected and we were pretty excited as a board and quite relieved. But to see these numbers now is certainly disheartening and it is hard for all of us to be in these kinds of situations and it’s a very emotional one that we have to contemplate.”

Boymook made a motion to accept the report as information and a separate motion that a special board meeting be called on May 4 at 10 am directing administration to provide a final recommendation regarding Andrew School and that any special requests for information be provided in that report. Both motions were passed unanimously by trustees.

Andrew SAC provided the following written statement, “Parent council will continue to advocate for saving Andrew school because that is what is best for the kids. We submitted the letter of support that outlines the importance of the school and we hope the board realizes how much this decision impacts the families and the community. We have also requested a meeting with our trustee to share our frustrations with the April 20 meeting and the ongoing concerns we have with the actions of the board as well as administration.”