Members of the Chinook School Board were at Fairview School yesterday to discuss a recent report from the Government of Saskatchewan.

The Educational Governance Review Report by Dan Perrins, hired by the provincial government, studies the status of education and proposes potential changes.

One change alarming the Chinook School Board is the potential for further amalgamation from the current school board system - an option Perrins considers viable to save funds.

Larry Caswell, Chinook School Board Chair, explains this idea is one the board feels is not reasonable. 

"The reality is about 55% of our budget comes from property taxes within the school division. The people living here are paying the majority of the costs of running the school division - it's not coming out of Regina, it's coming out of your pockets. Whether you're a land owner or a renter here, you're contributing to the education within Chinook School Division. It's a bit of a miss-step, I would say, to suggest that this is government money that is being saved here when over half of it is coming right out of the communities we serve," he said.

The last amalgamation was put in place on January 1st, 2006. At the time there were 99 school boards, which got cut down to 28. Chinook alone decreased from nine boards down to the current single board, a decision which the school board described as experiencing systemic shock at the time.

The 2006 amalgamation closed 176 schools, a fear still in the minds of the Chinook School Board.

"If Perrins' report should be implemented, my greatest fear is that Saskatchewan and my ward, Ward 1, will become a vast wasteland of closed schools with very few services for children.

That is what keeps me up at night. I suspect that is the case with every trustee, and why we stand in opposition and have taken an unprecedented approach by calling a press conference today," said Shane Andrus, Vice-Chair of the school board.

In place from the report are four options:

1) One public school division
2) Four regional public school divisions
3a) 8-14 public school divisions
3b) A re-working of current school division boundaries

Dr. Andrus also shares the division's wishes for help from the public regarding this potential decision looming on the horizon for the province.

"Certainly the Chinook Board is encouraging all members of the community - all rate payers and stakeholders - to make their voice heard in this very critical time for education. We believe that now is the time for each of us to send a message of the value of our elected boards, and also the value of school division as it is without any amalgamation," he said.

The Division encourage residents in the region supporting their viewpoint to contact their local MLA and voice possible concerns regarding the report.

Liam Choo-Foo, Director of Education for Chinook, explains the window for public submissions is a small one. He also describes the review process as unusually fast. 

"January 23rd is when submissions from the public will be cut off. By the end of January, the provincial review panel will then be presenting their findings to government. Cabinet will be making their decision in February. We're predicting they will be informed, at the latest, by March 15th - the Provincial budget date," he said.

For those wanting to submit findings to their MLA, Vice-Chair Andrus shares six points the division is stressing regarding Perrins' Educational Governance Review Report:

- Do not further centralize services in the region and province
- Don't close rural schools
- Continue to provide full-service school divisions
- Stop decreases in funding
- Please fully fund education
- Election of trustees instead of appointment

Click here to view the full 34-page document by Dan Perrins.