Local school on life support?

Not many people can question whether parents in Timmins care about the environment their students are learning in.

Many of those parents were present and active in conversation at an information night at Timmins High Monday night to learn more about the future of R. Ross Beattie school.

While a lot we’re expecting a big announcement, the meeting was more designed to inform parents of the process that’s in place to go through (or not go through) with repairs to the Grade 7 to 8 school.

At this time, Superintendent of Business and Finance at DSB-One Pearl Fong-West, says they’ve gotten reports from the architect and engineer, but the scope of work and drawings are still to be done.

“Once we have that, then we can get a truer cost of what it will cost and how long it will take,” she said, “And at that point, then we can take it to the board to let them decide whether we’re going to move forward, or whether they’re going to make a decision to have the students stay at Timmins High.”

Based on pictures shown to the crowd, there’s some significant water damage done around the foundation area.

The leak was found in a waterline, and the valve was shut down May 19^th, but since there was so much water, there’s reason to believe the water leak’s been happening since the fall.

Many parents in the crowd seemed frustrated at the lack of information about their children, and plans going forward.

There were also those questioning why the work should be done in the first place, considering DSB-One’s 5-year capital plan could see this move becoming permanent after an Accommodations Review anyway.

And it’s not an issue of not having the space either.  Timmins High was housing around 650 students in a building that can take in as many as 1,500 (hence a reason an Accommodations Review would be in the board’s future plans).

As for the decisions, Fong-West says they’re planning to hold weekly meetings to talk about the status of the situation.  The board is also prepared to post updates on their website and through social media, and at the same time, the meetings and possible surveys will give parents the knowledge, and a chance to have a voice.

That was huge for officials on the stage.  They want parents to speak to the topic at hand.

For now though, it seems there are a couple options on the table: move students back to Ross Beattie in September and do the repairs during the summer OR closeup Ross Beattie and have Grade 7 and 8 kids at Timmins High.

“(If the move is permanent), we would make other plans of doing some work at the Timmins High to make a location, to provide an identity for Ross Beattie.  So whether we do some painting so that their school colours are over here, giving them set classrooms.  Right now, they have no lockers because we didn’t move any lockers over here,” says Fong-West, “So if it’s a permanent move to Timmins High, then we would look into putting lockers in here, for specifically the Ross Beattie students.  We would look at the timetabling with the high school to see where the gym times can be shared, so different things like that.”

Parents had plenty of concern over the concept, from bullying to having “11-year olds hanging around 19-year olds” and the like.  One parent also pointed out that his child feels ‘embarrassed’ about being escorted in and out of the school and through the chain-linked fences, referring to it as ‘going to prison for the day.”

There were other suggestions, like moving the Grade 7 and 8 kids into the SK to Grade 6 schools, or even moving kids back to Ross Beattie as soon as repairs are done, no matter how much time it takes.

Fong-West quickly dismissed that last option, saying it’s not preferred to have to interrupt students in the middle of a school year to move back.

Officials admit it isn’t an ideal situation, but they’re making the most with what they got at the moment.

There are many “what if” scenarios in the air, which again, frustrated many in the audience Monday night, but without an idea of the cost to repair a building that’s been standing since 1969 with an unknown amount of structural damage, parents are left with little choice but to wait it out like the teachers and officials until a decision can be made.

There is much hope that the final decision will be made by the end of the month.

Another meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, June 22^nd at Timmins High’s auditorium.