School District 83 is officially pulling the plug on its online Education Outreach Program (EOP).
The possibility of closing the online school was first broached at the December board meeting in light of a new provincial policy limiting district-run programs to just local students, which would result in a loss of revenue. While enrolment does generate some funding, the program has to support two full-time teachers, a district principal, clerical support and an information technology manager.
Since then, the district has conducted a survey of program-enrolled students, and had discussions with senior leadership and the District Parent Advisory Council, and come to the conclusion that closure is the best option.
“The demands on this program, at a senior leadership level, we feel are unsustainable… ” Supt. Donna Kriger explained. “So given the availability and the ease of accessibility to other provincial online schools, and also considering the revenue that comes in with the program but also those hidden costs of what it takes to keep the program running, they just don’t balance out.”
As the EOP does have a good overall success rate, Kriger added that students in the program would be encouraged to enroll in one of the provincially run options, which also offers significantly more courses to choose from.
“Those districts that were chosen to be the hubs… they will be better equipped than we will as a small district without the funding, and I think that is best for kids,” trustee Tennile Lachmuth said of supporting the closure, albeit reluctantly.
Kriger too, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision to close the school.
“This is certainly not a recommendation that comes lightly, and certainly not a negative picture that is being painted for the staff that has dedicated a lot of time to this program,” she stated. “I just think it’s the reality of the situation we’re in.”
The program will officially end at the end of this school year in June, with the motion carried unanimously.
Read more: Online learning might be taken offline in Shuswap
Read more: Discussions continue on Salmon Arm school reconfiguration