The board of directors for Prairie Land Regional Division #25 (PLRD) are sticking by their previous decision. Come next fall, Hanna Primary School will be shut down.
At their August 29 board meeting, the PLRD board discussed rescinding their previous motion to close the school. The board had voted on May 30 to close the school at the end of 2012/2013 school year.
The decision caused an uproar with parents and Hanna residents. A petition was created to convince the PLRD board to keep the school open and invest in renovating the school. Roughly 800 signatures were collected and presented to PLRD in mid-July.
However, the board voted 6-2 to continue with the closure of Hanna Primary as planned.
“Hanna Primary is slated to close next year, pending getting J.C. Charyk ready,” said PLRD superintendant Wes Neumeier.
Students from Hanna Primary would be sent instead to J.C. Charyk School in Hanna, thereby creating a K-12 school.
This will likely be the final year for Hanna Primary School. On August 29, the Prairie Land Regional Division (PLRD) board voted 6-2 to continue with the school closure, despite a petition containing roughly 800 signatures asking to keep the school open. The decision is contingent upon government approval of the PLRD capital plan, which would see a $12 million investment in renovating J.C. Charyk School.
Parents had raised concerns about young students mingling with older kids.
In most schools that have kindergarten to Grade 12 students, the different age groups tend to be separated.
“There are many schools that operate well with that set up. As long as you have the facility arranged appropriately and the resources, you can create the school culture that needs to be there,” said Neumeier.
“Most places separate the students somewhat, others quite a lot. It also depends how you schedule the breaks. There is interaction [between the different ages] and you expect it to be appropriate. We find that older kids treat young kids quite well.”
J.C. Charyk is planned to undergo renovations to accommodate the new students. PLRD is awaiting government approval on their capital plan. If approved, renovations would begin next summer. The Hanna Primary closure is contingent upon approval of the capital plan.
“We’re hoping the funding will go through. The government should be announcing projects they are approving in early November,” said Neumeier.
The capital plan calls for a huge investment in J.C. Charyk. The key areas of the building would be renovated next summer, with other areas proceeding in stages.
“The recommendation of the Value Management Assessment is a $12 million investment in renovations and modifications. It’s a significant investment,” said Neumeier. “It will be a beautiful school for Hanna and it’ll serve the community for a long time.”
