“They” in the misquote below refers to the provincial government.
First they came for School District 21
And I did not speak out because they said bigger was better and it would save money
Then they came for Kingfisher and Seymour Arm schools
And I did not speak out because these were not my communities and they said bigger was better and it would save money.
Then they came for Salmon Arm Elementary, Malakwa School, and Ashton Creek Elementary
And I did not speak out because these were not my communities and they said bigger was better and it would save money.
Then they came for robust libraries and sufficient school counsellors
And I did not speak out because I was not a librarian or a counsellor and they said bigger was better and it would save money.
Then they came for Grindrod, Silver Creek School and Armstrong Elementary
And I did not speak out because I was not from those communities and they said bigger was better and it would save money.
Then they came for my neighborhood school And there was no one left
To speak out for my community.
Bigger is not better when it comes to education. There are false economies of scale. The assertion that programs are saved by having bigger schools in my opinion is not necessarily true. By creating bigger and bigger schools each student gets less opportunity to shine. Fewer kids are on sports teams, fewer receive special education help, and fewer are in the school play, and more kids fade into the background and “fall through the cracks.” This can create costs in the future for jails, mental health support, and employment problems.
Please stop closing our schools and pitting communities against each other. When it comes to education, smaller is better!
Kim Fulton