'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
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.