A traditional school program will be rolled into an existing school for the 2013/2014 year.
Mission Public School District trustees voted Tuesday night to start searching for a facility within the core of the community in which to place the program.
Originally, the board was hoping to secure at least 75 new students so a new school offering kindergarten to Grade 4 could be opened. However, after the pre-registration deadline passed April 1, only five new students — defined as those not already enrolled in the district — were signed up.
But 80 registrations came from children already in Mission schools, and this will allow full kindergarten classes for 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.
“We cannot afford to open a brand new school with those numbers,” said trustee vice-chair Jim Taylor. “But we can convert an existing school to a traditional model.”
The configuration and how the program would be structured will be fleshed out for trustees in the near future, and it will come back to the board table, said trustee Randy Cairns.
Trustee chair Edie Heinrichs said one of the reasons the program is being implemented is to lessen the number of students leaving MPSD for other similar programs in surrounding areas.
“We can’t solve the program, but we hope to stop the bleeding.”
Heinrichs also said that this program won’t affect and rest of the district financially.