Dallas / RL Clemitson

These words are in regards to the Dallas Elementary and RLC catchment changes proposed for September 2022. 

Grade 7’s: For those children in Dallas Elementary currently in Grade 5, those are the ones that will suffer the most. Move to an entire new school and then again in another year as they head into high school!? A lot of these children have been in Dallas Elementary since they were in Kindergarten. To move them for one year into a new area that they are not familiar with, unfamiliar teachers and staff, farther from home and with other students that they do not know is not only devastating, it’s downright wrong. These kids will have enough anxiety and fear having to move into high-school the following year as it is. It will be crippling for them. Grade 7 in September 2022 should not even be considered to be moved! They should be allowed to remain at Dallas where they can graduate with their peers. There was a precedent set on this already in the school district as this has been done before.

Moving the students of Campbell Creek Village is already setting off animosity amongst the Dallas area. Parents are bickering, the kids are suffering and a lot of misinformation is being spread. This catchment change will not only hurt the Campbell Creek Village kids but also the ones that would remain in the Dallas catchment. Bonds have been made for years between these children, some even from preschool! Campbell Creek Village is as much a part of Dallas as any other part of Dallas and to negate our children by basically seeing them as taking up space, is not acceptable or humanitarian. My son is already being bullied at school and being told that he has to leave. There needs to be thought and care about the disconnect this will create in our neighbourhoods and the hardship it will bring to so many families and students. 

This proposal is putting a bandaid on a problem that should have been dealt with long ago. There seems to be a huge disconnect between the city planning and the school district. The numbers that are being tossed around by SD73 are incorrect. The 102 students is only a small fraction of what will come by September 2022. RLC cannot handle the capacity either. They have much less parking and space than Dallas does. The Barnhartvale residents have expressed that they don’t want the increased traffic in their area and the majority of the kids that would be forced to go there, don’t want to be there. The streets are insanely narrow being that it is an old neighbourhood. Many of us parents drive our children to school and do not put them on a bus so we will need parking and space. This has huge implications both socially and on the infrastructure. Does the district even realize that the Pineridge Golf Course has been sold and there are 396 houses and condos going on that property? My guess is that’s another 500+ kids into the elementary school system right there. The Burrows beside Campbell Creek Village is only on Phase 2 of a Phase 3 building plan. There are many more houses going in there now and into the next year. Has that been assessed? I understand that changes need to be made but I highly question if these are the correct decisions given that clearly the area was not researched. It seems that Campbell Creek Village has been singled out although many residents have owned their houses for many years and their children have attended Dallas Elementary for many years. How about moving all new people into RLC and let the existing registered students stay where they are?

The electrical and bathrooms have been brought up as issues. Well the electrical is being upgraded this year at Dallas so that is no excuse. Further electrical can be upgraded at a reasonable price. Bathrooms can also be added which they will have to be anyway in the case that no new school(s) will be built to deal with the change in demographics. This is also an easy fix and not a viable excuse. There has never been an issue getting into a bathroom to use it in Dallas Elementary and my kids have attended the school for 5 and 6 years. There’s even an existing girls bathroom that is missing a toilet in a stall. If bathrooms were really an issue, things like that would be dealt with. The Valleyview High School has dealt with multiple portables for years with the electrical and bathrooms never being an issue. I’ll also point out that there is an extra set of bathrooms by the gymnasium by Mr.Ruddick’s classroom making three sets in the school which is more than what many other schools have.

Covid has taken away so many things from our children. Why in the world would this even be considered right in the middle of the pandemic to create more mistrust and anxiety? In a world where we are now being taught not to trust and that everything is bad, the children have suffered the most out of all of us. They’ve had so much taken away from sports, visiting friends and family, being free to be kids, and so much more. The mental illness culmination of these changes would be catastrophic!

I wasn't able to make it to the consultation for Dallas Elementary the other night. I wanted to pass along my message that I do not want my daughter who lives in Campbell Creek to go to RLC. It is way too far from our area and will make pick up and drop off very inconvienent. I think kids in Campbell Creek should continue going to Dallas Elementary.

Will there be any before and after school daycare options opening with this catchment change? (see Q. 22)

My address is in the Dallas catchment, and I was on the wait list at Kamloops kids for over a year, I finally found a daycare that will do before and after school care in the Campbell Creek area. With the catchment changing from Campbell Creek that would mean no bus to Dallas Elementary from Campbell creek? (see Q. 7)

If so, then that would mean no care to assist the working parents. Unless you do plan on opening a before and after school care in the school.

What is your plan for that?

For the proposed catchment changes to Dallas for Campbell Creek Village students, is that for new students/new registering or are existing registered students stuck in that possible change as well?  (see Q. 5)

I'm not very happy with this proposal as my kids have been at Dallas for 5 and 6 years now. RLC doubles the commenting time to get to school plus puts a huge pressure on our family as both my husband and myself also work in Dallas.

I am against this change. Campbell Creek is the farthest away from RLC!  I have one child in Dallas already. Once my youngest starts kindergarten at RLC, is the application to transfer my oldest going to be automatically accepted? 

Is there a chance each kid will be a different school?  If so, that’s extremely problematic to say the least. (see Q. 5)

The boundary change would be in effect September 2022. Students already attending Dallas Elementary that are affected by the catchment boundary change can apply to transfer. 

Administrative Procedure 305 School Boundaries and Student Transfer Requests.
(from the AP) Each year students and parents will be given notice that commencing on March 1st of each year they may request transfer to another school for the coming school year. Notice shall be publicized in school newsletters and on the School District 73 website. Transfer requests must be submitted in writing to the receiving principal and approved by students’ parents to be considered.

6. Will there be any changes for the students living in Rivershore?

No, this proposed change does not affect Rivershore, it applies only to the Campbell Creek area, including future development. 

7. How long will the bus ride take from Campbell Creek Village to R.L. Clemitson?

Currently the two buses that pick up from Campbell Creek Village to Dallas Elementary, without additional stops takes about 12 min. Going from CCV to RLC with no additional stops will take about 17 min, adding 5 minutes to their ride.

8. Assuming this catchment change is made, in 2030 how many portables do you estimate each school will have?

R.L. Clemitson is projected to have 476 students in 2030, and if this occurs, there will be 3 to four portables at RL Clemitson. 

9. How will the changes be staffed?

In 2002, we predicted that enrolments would decline, as they did, until 2014. We also predicted the enrolment would start to increase after 2014, and it has. In 2002 there was significant excess capacity. We anticipated we could accommodate any increases in capacity.

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada decision regarding class size and composition meant this district required an additional 90 classrooms. That decision absorbed any excess space that we had. This, along with the increasing enrolment in the district, has led to this current situation. 

In working to balance enrolment pressures, we do realize these students are already on a bus and we do understand it would be a bit longer bus ride. In our effort to reduce the number of students attending Dallas Elementary, this choice, given the numbers of students involved, will help reduce these pressures. 

There were other areas considered, but the students from Campbell Creek are already taking a school bus, and we knew this change would help ease enrolment in Dallas Elementary.

13. If I have a child in Dallas Elementary and my youngest is going to Kindergarten, will they need to be sent to separate schools?

 The mental wellness of our students is a top priority. As requested, counselling will be put in place for individuals if they require it.

In addition, schools will develop plans to ensure students connect as new friends and feel part of their new school. Everyone will be working to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging. 

When we look at middle school options we start looking at the requirements of middle schools regarding sports and junior shop classes. Ralph Bell has an elementary-sized gymnasium which would not be suitable for the lower secondary school grades, and there is no space for some of those other elective courses. 

19. Will it be a requirement of RL Clemitson to place the Campbell Creek students in their grade appropriate class together so they have a friendly face to help with the adjustment for the first year?

It is possible that could occur. We are obligated to follow the collective agreement which has some composition guidelines related to class sizes and numbers of students with special education designations that can go into each class. This creates some limitations, although we do prioritize the social and emotional growth of our students, in the case where we have students new to the school that would be a consideration for classroom placements. 

20. Has the board considered verifying the addresses vs. students’ actual catchment area they reside in? (multiple students that live in RLC that go to Dallas Elementary and vice versa) 

Any student that lives outside of the catchment area must apply for a transfer. We do not intend to overturn transfers that have been approved. In the case of Dallas and RL Clemitson schools, the number of students currently in this situation is minimal. 

21. What is your plan for providing safe drop-off and pick up for additional students when there are many people from the Campbell Creek area stating their kids do not take the bus?

The District has a good working relationship with the City of Kamloops. Traffic concerns will be monitored and managed.