Part of the argument proponents of a school swap between LaVerendrye and Earl Grey School's are putting forward is that these buildings that house our schools are merely bricks and mortar and if Earl Grey School moves to the LaVerendrye site, we will adapt nicely in our new surroundings and continue to do well.
Unfortunately, this ignores many realities of a swap which are that in the process Earl Grey School would lose our Jr. High programming, as well as being taken well over a half of a kilometre away from access to the Earl Grey Children's Center and the Earl Grey Community Center.
Why is this problematic? Part of the reason is because of the demographics of our school and the socio-economic realities that Earl Grey families and students face. A recent article in Maclean's magazine titles 'Just say ‘non’: The problem with French immersion' did an excellent job of tackling the issue, in a round-a-bout way. One part of the article focusing on the issue facing Earl Grey is as follows:
Now, some at the Earl Grey, understandably, wish the school had not been categorized as poor. We have a diverse range of students. However, the fact is that many of Earl Grey's students face challenges and hardships more so than we see occurring in the more affluent French-immersion, or in this case French Milieu schools like LaVerendrye, which have become, according to the article, more elite schools for wealthier children and families.
According to the Winnipeg School Division, 40 percent of students at Earl Grey School come from single parent families. Furthermore, 24.6 percent students were BELOW the low income cut off. Aboriginal families make up 19.6 percent of the population, and could be as high as 35 percent when Aboriginal students living with non-Aboriginal families are factored in. Additionally, Earl Grey is home to a 18.5 percent immigrants from a range of countries.
The truth is, based on Winnipeg School Division's OWN FINDINGS, Earl Grey School has a vulnerable student population, and they will be HIT THE HARDEST by a school swap. One swap advocate took exception to the Maclean's article arguing:
Unfortunately, she is wrong on both accounts. Race and poverty do play a role here, and as a result it is very much an "Us" vs "Them" situation. Moving at risk kids away from the Earl Grey Community Centre and it's lunchtime and afterschool programming is going to hit them hard. They will be left without the facilities that students and families have come to rely on to help them manage, and to keep kids in a safe, stable, productive environment.
Furthermore, Earl Grey families rely on the Earl Grey Children's Centre for it's programming. Unfortunately, EGCC is ONLY licensed for the Earl Grey School site. That means that it cannot transfer to LaVerendrye. That is going to hit these low income families who rely on this service the hardest, with no reasonable alternative given.
The argument has been that the schools are close together, so students can travel between the schools to take advantage of these services. No. The schools are well over a half a kilometre apart, which is substantial, especially in the harsh winter months. There are no plans for any transportation opportunities for students between the two locations, which means kids, especially low income and at risk kids are taken away from the programs built for them by the Earl Grey Community Centre to give them a better life.
Furthermore, with the loss of Jr. High, we would have families scrambling to try and find a Jr. High program for kids to go to, with, once again, no promise of transportation or acceptance. Once again, this will be hardest for vulnerable and low income families. Not to mention that studies show that students of all demographics perform far better in Jr. High grades when they are combined with a grade school as opposed to being part of a High School environment, or on their own. And that will be particularly hard for Earl Grey's already at risk kids.
These loses will be devastating to the Earl Grey School community. These programs took years, and often decades to develop to suit the needs of Earl Grey's demographics. A swap would destroy all those years of work overnight. And those who will pay the highest price are the at risk, low income, Aboriginal and immigrant children and families that make up a good percentage of Earl Grey's population.
This isn't just about bricks and mortar. This is about vulnerable people in our community and a system that has been built for them that would be completely torn apart in the case of a swap. This is why we must fight against a swap. This is why we must fight to protect Earl Grey School. Stop the swap.
Unfortunately, this ignores many realities of a swap which are that in the process Earl Grey School would lose our Jr. High programming, as well as being taken well over a half of a kilometre away from access to the Earl Grey Children's Center and the Earl Grey Community Center.
Why is this problematic? Part of the reason is because of the demographics of our school and the socio-economic realities that Earl Grey families and students face. A recent article in Maclean's magazine titles 'Just say ‘non’: The problem with French immersion' did an excellent job of tackling the issue, in a round-a-bout way. One part of the article focusing on the issue facing Earl Grey is as follows:
“Earl Grey, demographically, is poor,” Wasyliw says, adding it has a lot of students from single-parent families and a high Aboriginal population. It houses a nursery, and there is a community centre next door for at-risk youth. “We move, we lose that proximity to the [community] centre,” says Darryl Balasko, the parent advisory council chair at Earl Grey.
Now, some at the Earl Grey, understandably, wish the school had not been categorized as poor. We have a diverse range of students. However, the fact is that many of Earl Grey's students face challenges and hardships more so than we see occurring in the more affluent French-immersion, or in this case French Milieu schools like LaVerendrye, which have become, according to the article, more elite schools for wealthier children and families.
According to the Winnipeg School Division, 40 percent of students at Earl Grey School come from single parent families. Furthermore, 24.6 percent students were BELOW the low income cut off. Aboriginal families make up 19.6 percent of the population, and could be as high as 35 percent when Aboriginal students living with non-Aboriginal families are factored in. Additionally, Earl Grey is home to a 18.5 percent immigrants from a range of countries.
The truth is, based on Winnipeg School Division's OWN FINDINGS, Earl Grey School has a vulnerable student population, and they will be HIT THE HARDEST by a school swap. One swap advocate took exception to the Maclean's article arguing:
Unfortunately, she is wrong on both accounts. Race and poverty do play a role here, and as a result it is very much an "Us" vs "Them" situation. Moving at risk kids away from the Earl Grey Community Centre and it's lunchtime and afterschool programming is going to hit them hard. They will be left without the facilities that students and families have come to rely on to help them manage, and to keep kids in a safe, stable, productive environment.
Furthermore, Earl Grey families rely on the Earl Grey Children's Centre for it's programming. Unfortunately, EGCC is ONLY licensed for the Earl Grey School site. That means that it cannot transfer to LaVerendrye. That is going to hit these low income families who rely on this service the hardest, with no reasonable alternative given.
The argument has been that the schools are close together, so students can travel between the schools to take advantage of these services. No. The schools are well over a half a kilometre apart, which is substantial, especially in the harsh winter months. There are no plans for any transportation opportunities for students between the two locations, which means kids, especially low income and at risk kids are taken away from the programs built for them by the Earl Grey Community Centre to give them a better life.
Furthermore, with the loss of Jr. High, we would have families scrambling to try and find a Jr. High program for kids to go to, with, once again, no promise of transportation or acceptance. Once again, this will be hardest for vulnerable and low income families. Not to mention that studies show that students of all demographics perform far better in Jr. High grades when they are combined with a grade school as opposed to being part of a High School environment, or on their own. And that will be particularly hard for Earl Grey's already at risk kids.
These loses will be devastating to the Earl Grey School community. These programs took years, and often decades to develop to suit the needs of Earl Grey's demographics. A swap would destroy all those years of work overnight. And those who will pay the highest price are the at risk, low income, Aboriginal and immigrant children and families that make up a good percentage of Earl Grey's population.
This isn't just about bricks and mortar. This is about vulnerable people in our community and a system that has been built for them that would be completely torn apart in the case of a swap. This is why we must fight against a swap. This is why we must fight to protect Earl Grey School. Stop the swap.
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