It will likely be the fall of 2013 before Battlefords students are affected by any changes the Living Sky School Division might make to address crowded conditions in some of the community's schools.
In a recent report to the board of the school division, a committee struck late last year offered a timeline for the decision making process.
Director of Education Randy Fox says the timeline includes meeting with school administrators during the month of February, some brain-storming to follow and the narrowing down of possible scenarios to two or three by the end of April.
Then a process of public consultation is expected to begin, says Fox. That should run through the spring and possibly into the early fall of this year. The board will want input from school community councils, parents and, of course, staff, before coming to a decision, he says.
The school year of 2012-13 should see the undertaking of whatever preparations are necessary to implement the board's decision. If all goes according to the timeline, those changes will be in place for the fall of 2013, the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.
Crowding in some of the division's elementary schools, especially Battleford Central School, is the impetus behind the striking of the committee and its recommended timeline. The board may be looking at moving Grade 8, and possibly Grade 7, students to the underused North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBHS).
The concept of a shared school facility between the two school divisions in the community has also come under discussion in joint meetings with the City of North Battleford as it plans for future development, and this possibility may also impact the eventual decision.
The most recent facilities rationalization study of public schools in the Battlefords and area was completed in 2008, facilitated by Lawrence Chomos of the Saskatchewan Education Leadership Unit.
At that time, Chomos wrote in his report, "There is serious overcrowding at Battleford Central School and Connaught Elementary School."
Recommendations from the study's results included either the creation of a middle years school for the Battlefords or moving Grade 8 students to North Battleford Comprehensive High School.
Some of the overcrowding may be attributed to the closure of Battleford Junior High School and Alexander Junior High School.
In September of 2001, Grade 8 students from Alexander Junior High School began attending the four elementary schools in Battlefords and the Grade 9 students were moved to NBCHS. During that same year, Grade 7 students from Battleford Junior High school began attending Battleford Central School. In the following year Battleford Junior High School was closed and all students in Grade 9 were attending NBCHS.
