Medicine Hat Public School Division superintendent Tracy Hensel speaks to Southview parents during a public consultation process Tuesday night as the school division considers closing Southview Community and Webster Niblock schools. Officials will meet with parents from Webster Niblock School tonight to collect feedback.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Parents and guardians expressed concerns and shared insights during public consultation Wednesday evening, as the Medicine Hat Public School Division considers closing the doors to Southview Community and Webster Niblock schools in an effort to reduce operating costs and provide students a higher standard of learning.
Approximately 50 parents, staff and facilitators from Southview were in attendance, with a background presentation by superintendent Tracy Hensel on how the division reached a decision to consider closing two of its 17 schools.
Despite the presentation, some parents feel the division “sugarcoated” the consultation process and downplayed potential effects the closures could have on families.
“It’s putting a positive spin on shutting your school down, ” said parent Sarah Standish. “It’s hard to describe.”
Following a background presentation, parents were split into ‘think-tank’ groups and asked to write several items and concerns down on large poster paper, which will be presented to board trustees to help guide them in their upcoming decision.
“I’d like to think our voices are being heard,” said parent Ian Winter, parent. “We had a pretty meaningful conversation at our table, coming up with lots of ideas and just bouncing ideas and bringing a few more things to life I haven’t thought about, but there is definitely more explanation I’d like to get.”
“I do feel like I was being heard but I feel they are putting a positive spin on closing a school,” said parent Leeanne Streifel. “I do feel like they’re being shared, we’ll see if anyone is listening though.”
Ashleigh Dickson told reporters following the consultation process she has concerns about potential additional costs parents may ensue if the schools are closed.
“Are we going to have to separate our kids to go to two different schools?” she said to the News. “What are transportation costs going to look like? Is that going to increase costs for us? Because we are not zoned for the school we are sending our children to, that is going to increase costs for us and potentially other parents as well.”
Other concerns shared by parents include expanding communication, classroom configurations, student support, friendships and peer connections.
All concerns and feedback will be analyzed by school facilitators and presented to trustees, who are expected to make a decision by Jan. 6.
The division says it is facing budget challenges operating all schools at optimum levels, and trustees began looking into possibilities for cost-saving measures with consultants from Alberta Education at the beginning of 2025.
By closing the two schools the division would see $500,000 in cost savings and a deferred maintenance budget on the buildings of more than $7.9 million.
At that time in late March, the division identified in its three-year capital plan a need for replacement schools for Crestwood and Elm Street, and was seeking funding from the province’s newly announced $8.6-billion School Construction Accelerator Program in fall 2024.
According to Hensel, provincial consultants provided three cost options for the division’s 10-year capital plan, which predicts a decline in student enrolment in Medicine Hat due to a decline in the city’s birth-rate population.
Through a value scoping process, MHPSD focused on three areas – SE Elementary, North Elementary and the Hill – to reduce cost saving and to ensure there was a school operating in each community, both Southview and Webster Niblock were chosen to be potentially closed down with students transferred to other schools within the division.
By transferring students to other schools the division believes it will improve access to subject specialists and special needs care, as well as provide more education options.
If both schools are closed the division has presented possible scenarios for student transitions next school year.
The division says students could be reallocated to nearby schools with support for transportation, programming and peer connections.
Students from Southview Community School could be reassigned to Crestwood STEM School or Ross Glen School, and students from Webster Niblock School could be reassigned to Vincent Massey School or Dr. Ken Sauer Fine Arts School.
Tonight the division will host a public consultation meeting for parents and guardians of Webster Niblock School beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Medicine Hat High School.
