'A lot of collateral damage': School swap proposal splitting opinions
Students at two St. Vital schools could be impacted by a major shakeup next school year.
Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) is proposing changes at two schools: turning Minnetonka School into a Kindergarten to Grade 4 school, and Darwin School into a Grade 5 to 8 school.
Nine years ago, Melissa Martin's family moved to be close to Darwin School.
"It’s our community; it’s our neighbourhood school,” Martin said.
She said parents like her have concerns if the proposal sticks.
"Child care stability, access to transportation, overall safety of their children and the overall mental health wellbeing,” Martin said.
She said this swap would mean two different school transportation plans for her four children - impacting family finances and her ability to work as a full-time nurse in the fall.
"It would mean either putting that on hold for me for a couple of years until they are all back in one spot," she said. "Or us needing to also, for the first time, look into child care."
Darcy Cormack, an assistant superintendent with the school division, said the proposal comes from positive feedback from students at Darwin School.
''We've heard from students that we enjoy the larger group size and the ability to make new friendships in learning groups,” Cormack said.
She said the move would give students better extracurricular opportunities and help with an anticipated decline in enrollment in both schools.
"There would be three of four classrooms at each grade for increase collaboration across those groups."
LRSD's proposal isn't final, and Cormack said the division is looking to hear from community members. That is giving Martin hope there's time to change minds.
"There's going to be a lot of collateral damage throughout families,” Martin said.
Martin will be representing Darwin parents Tuesday night at a divisional board meeting, presenting their concerns to LRSD.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.