Wildwood Elementary closes July 31st

Courtesy of School District #27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin):

At last night’s public meeting the Board of Education discussed the fate of Wildwood
Elementary School.

Since 21 April 2015, the Wildwood Elementary School facility has been temporarily
closed due to flooding and mould issues. Wildwood Elementary has operated as a
“school within a school” out of Marie Sharpe Elementary in Williams Lake for the
balance of the school year.

A public consultation forum was held on 16 June 2015 where 25-30 staff, parents,
government representatives, and citizens gathered to hear firsthand the extent of the
devastation the flooding caused to the building, to ask questions, and to present ideas.

Wildwood Elementary School PAC President Cassie Blaine, with support of other parents, addressed
the Board last night, in a final plea to keep the school open.

After a lengthy debate of the options that may be available to the Board and citing the
insurmountable costs to remediate the existing site and costs to replace the facility, the
Board, in the end, unanimously agreed to close the school.

The Board also passed a motion to incorporate the Wildwood Elementary School
catchment area into the Marie Sharpe catchment area. This means that the existing
students of Wildwood become students of Marie Sharpe Elementary School. The Board
further approved changes that will allow current families of Wildwood Elementary,
wishing to enroll in a different school then Marie Sharpe Elementary, special
consideration. Parents wanting to explore this avenue should contact their School Principal or the School Board Office. Bus routes will also be reviewed by District Staff.

The Chair for the Board of Education - School District #27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) Tanya Guenther said:

“As I stated last month, this was a very difficult
decision to make and it was not made lightly. Although the outcome is not one that
anyone wanted, we thank the parents and the community for their patience and
understanding as we worked through this process. We wish the students and their
families a great summer and a rewarding 2015-2016 school year as they officially join
the community of Marie Sharpe Elementary.”