Andrew School to Close End of June

Andrew School to Close End of June

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Elk Island Public Schools, (EIPS) board of trustees were tasked with the difficult decision on whether to close Andrew School or not, and on May 4 they voted in favour of closing the school during a special meeting.

After three and a half hours of deliberation Trustee Don Irwin made the motion to close the school with all of the trustees except for Board Vice-Chair Colleen Holowaychuk voting against the motion.

Holowaychuk represents the Lamont County ward and completed her schooling at Andrew School.

Holowaychuk is one of nine trustees on the board. Trustee Ralph Sorochan asked for an amendment to the original motion to allow EIPS to waive the school of choice fees for pre-registered Kindergarten to Grade 6 Andrew students for the 2023-24 school year.

Holowaychuk also did not vote in favour of Option B regarding transportation as she felt it would be best to have all the elementary students that reside in the Village of Andrew as well as the Andrew attendance area all attend Mundare School.

Under Option B all of the elementary students who reside in the Village of Andrew, 22 in total, will be bused directly to Mundare School. Elementary, junior and senior high students who reside in the Andrew attendance area would be bused either to Lamont or Vegreville.

EIPS Division Principal Dave Antymnick said they will be reopening registration process to accommodate those K-Grade 6 students.

(News Advertiser/File Photo)

Emotions were raw and Holowaychuk could not hold back tears. She was not the only trustee to cry over the heartbreaking decision as they wrestled over the issues of low enrolment, funding, infrastructure repairs, transportation costs and ride times, quality of education as well as limited staffing and service delivery.

Holowaychuk did say she would like the students to stay together as much as possible to make the transition to Mundare School smoother and asked members of administration to do their best to ensure that that happens.

While the decision did not come as a shock to Village of Andrew Mayor Merwin Haight and Deputy Mayor Tammy Pickett, they both expressed their disappointment following the decision.

Andrew School Parent Council President Dayle Juhasz and Secretary Kylie Rude were also in attendance at the meeting along with former student April Kliachik.

Both Pickett and Haight made presentations to trustees before Superintendent Mark Liguori gave his final report. Pickett said she had volunteered for “everything imaginable” in the community, including the playground that she asked if the Village of Andrew could retain it. She also asked if they would be able to retain artifacts from the school as well as items from the library that had been donated by various individuals and groups or were purchased through the Northern Lights Library System. That request was granted as well.

Pickett also requested to keep the Bell Tower and Liguori said they would look into that. The other request was for the fitness equipment that was purchased prior to the high school closing. She asked if they could retain Chrome Books and Smart Boards that were acquired through fundraising efforts, but that request was denied as she was told those items move with the students to their designated school.

Haight asked for a copy of the original transfer agreement that dates back to 1992. An agreement, Haight said was “inherited” from Lamont County and the Village of Andrew. He also requested a cost estimate for demolition of the building and any necessary abatement as well as an expected timeline as the Village of Andrew will need to consult with residents regarding next steps.

The school will officially close on June 30.