Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

KAMLOOPS — A local grassroots group is looking to show the Ministry of Education that the students of the Kamloops-Thompson School District are in need of more capital funding.

"Our school district is in crisis and it is affecting the way our children learn and their access to quality education," says Kerri Schill, a member of the group Advocates for SD73.

Schill unsuccessfully ran for the school board in the last general election. She says a rally is being planned for Feb. 8 in front of the school district office in Kamloops to create more awareness regarding capital funding. She says Advocates for SD73 came together after the board released their facilities report last December which revealed that several schools are currently over capacity.

Schill says they are planning the friendly rally to bring stakeholders together.

"People can expect handmade signs, passionate individuals that care deeply about public education in our city and rural areas and want to help raise awareness of the crisis in SD73 in particular," she says. "We will no longer be ignored by the Ministry of Education."

The board's Long Range Facilities report revealed the district is currently facing high enrolment pressures in schools across the city. School trustees recently approved the recommendation to begin the consultation process to redraw the catchment area for David Thompson Elementary School in order to reopen Westsyde Elementary School to help alleviate enrolment pressures at the school.

David Thompson is over capacity by 125 per cent, according to the report. It's also one of the smallest school buildings in the city.

Schill says everyone is welcome to attend the rally.

"We have also planned for the rally to be held on a Pro-D day so that students and parents have more opportunity to attend," she says. "The chronic underfunding to our school district including capital funding affects us all."

For more information on Advocates for SD73 go here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Karen Edwards or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2019