Langley School District is recommending the closure of the Lochiel school site and relocation of its U-Connect program to Simonds Elementary.
The move of the program will actually save the district from having to consider closing Simonds, which has been facing declining enrolment for some time.
At a special meeting on Tuesday night, trustees unanimously approved a notice of motion to consider closing the south Langley school.
That sets in motion the required 60-day public consultation process to close a school.
The district will hold a public meeting on May 13 to discuss the proposed closure, and listen to community concerns and proposed options.
To that point, Trustee Alison McVeigh urged the public to have their say.
“I encourage the community to get involved. It’s important that we hear your feedback,” said McVeigh.
Trustee Rod Ross asked how much seismic work needs to be done at Simonds.
“Simonds does have some issues.
“That will come out in a full report on Friday,” said David Green, secretary-treasurer. Trustees will decide at their June 9 board meeting whether to close that site.
The recent public consultation process regarding the Langley Secondary family of schools did not result in the possible conversion of Simonds Elementary to a middle school, thereby raising the issue of whether the district should consider its closure due to declining enrolment, said Green on Tuesday.
Then the district looked at the recent expansion of the learning program at Lochiel to include Grade 10 next September, and the plan to continue to add a grade each year so it becomes a K-12 school.
Because of that, a larger facility is required, involving relocation of students.
There are around 120 students and the program is growing, said Ken Hoff, district spokesperson.
The program is unique, offering a blend of some site-based and mostly home learning. Learning plans are created by teachers, parents and students together in September of each year and work is completed throughout the year, with much of it taking place online.
“It’s really working for students who just don’t succeed in a traditional classroom setting,” said Hoff.
More and more students with anxiety have found this program works for them.
If the U-Connect program moves to Simonds, there are two implications to the school.
Right now, the district’s Media Centre is currently housed at Simonds.
That resource library will have to be moved somewhere else.
The district would also have to consider whether space would still be available for district ELL teachers, who currently use the school as a base.
The district has to consider selling off some of its school sites to free up money to contribute money to building a new high school in Willoughby.