Proposed closures of public schools in the Nanaimo and Ladysmith School District 68 (SD68) have galvanized parents to form a group called Stand Up for Public Education Rights (SUPER).
On Saturday, May 25, 2013 SUPER has organized a 22 km walk from Ladysmith to Nanaimo. The walk will start from 341 First Avenue in Ladysmith at 10 am and finish at Southgate Mall in Nanaimo.
Everyone is encouraged to join in the walk this Saturday, as the school closures will affect the entire community. Home values in these areas will most likely decline as a result of not having a local public school nearby. The proposed school closures include:
- Cedar North Secondary
- North Cedar Elementary
- North Oyster Elementary
- South Wellington Elementary
- Woodlands Secondary
- Departure Bay Elementary
- Woodbank Primary School
- Ecole Davis Road Elementary
- District Resource Centre
Doug Player, hired as a consultant to draft the School District’s ten year plan, was a former superintendent of public schools in West Vancouver. West Vancouver has three public high schools.
Nanaimo Ladysmith School District plans to close several schools and dispose of school property in an effort to save money. Yet at the same time SD68 has spent taxpayers’ money to rebrand their image with a new logo and an advertising campaign. Here is a full page advertisement which was printed in a local magazine called Gateway to Commerce.
What is happening to Ladysmith and Nanaimo public education? Read more about the SD68 ten year plan.
In the meantime, the School District is looking for donations of exercise equipment for their behavior classes. Please contact SD68 at 250-754-5521.