Save Wilfrid Walker English Program and School

The Regina School Board has proposed to close the English program at Wilfrid Walker School. Next meeting with the School Board Tues Jan 29th 7:00pm at the school in the resource centre.

There will be serious social and economic issues for the community and our children.

Also, the savings projected by the Regina School Division for closing the English program are only $6,827 per year after transportation costs ($58,000) in their proposal. However, based on the new student numbers there will be NO SAVINGS AT ALL.

Based on $1000 per child (the School Divisions estimate) and the new student numbers, there will be no savings to close the English Tract: just a cost of between $70,000 to $106,000 (based on today’s numbers) and $118,000 to $172,000 (adding Gardiner Park Addition) - all per year. Therefore closing the English Tract at Wilfrid Walker will COST (NOT SAVE) the School Division between $700,000 and $1.72 million over the next 10 years.

If the school division closes the English tract at Wilfrid Walker School they will put the school under the minimum 300 to 500 threshold for a school. They will also be sending our children to a school that has no chance, even with Wilfrid Walker students to make the 300 threshold and probably will close.

The ability for French Immersion students to switch to English without switching schools is lost – which can be devastating to a young child’s confidence.

Therefore it would seem premature to proceed with a plan that would cost the tax payers significant amount of money and divide an already healthy school and community based on historical trends of data of the area and missing the obvious growth of the community.