Bulkley Valley School District 54 trustees voted Tuesday night to not pursue the Rural Education Enhancement Fund to keep Lake Kathlyn Elementary School open.
The school board and staff both explained that they believed they did not qualify for the fund, despite the provincial press release on the fund last week listing Lake Kathlyn as a school that could apply.
This was the criteria listed in the press release:
* In a rural community or sub-community outside Greater Victoria, theLower Mainland, and Kelowna areas with a population less than 15,000;
* Closure would eliminate specific grades within the community;
* Funding is used to keep the school open; and
* Closures due to facility condition or extreme enrolment decline are not
included.
Superintendent Chris van der Mark also said that even if the school qualified, keeping a "surplus facility" open would not be the best use of limited funds.
Read more in the June 22 and June 29 editions of The Interior News.