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Central Okanagan School District
Roll out of new school curriculum underfunded, say Okanagan teachers’ association
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Teachers in the Central Okanagan School District are welcoming the new provincial education curriculum but say the province isn’t providing enough money to give it a proper introduction. “It is a huge reform, complete overhaul from stem to stern and teachers have been very involved in the development of this curriculum. Like...
Who’s paying their property taxes and who isn’t in Kelowna
KELOWNA - All in all, we’re a pretty honest bunch if measured by how promptly we pay our property taxes. “We do have some people who don’t like having to pay but the majority of people are really good about it,” financial planning manager George King says. Property taxes totalling $226.7 million were due by...
Lots on the table for Central Okanagan school trustees this fall
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It may be the middle of summer but a new school year is fast approaching for the Central Okanagan School District. School board chair Moyra Baxter says school trustees face a number of pressing issues for the 2015-16 school year, including another probable budget deficit, the transition to a new superintendent of...
Changing demographics could force school closure in Rutland
KELOWNA - It’s been years since it last happened and there’s no guarantee yet that it will, but in the face of static enrolment and ever-tighter budgets the Central Okanagan School District is once again looking at possible school closures. “I would suggest the next possible school closure would be in the Rutland area,” school...
Local elementary students fight the heat during divisional track meet
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Rain or shine, the end-of-year track meet for grades 4 to 6 elementary students must go on. This year, the heat was the obvious enemy at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl. “I’ve never seen it quite this hot though I’ve seen days where it was pretty warm and I’ve seen days when there was...
What would you pay for a gently-used school board office?
KELOWNA - For sale: one well-used school board office built in 1972 and the four acres of land that sits under it. Asking price: $6.5 million. Make us an offer, please. After three years on the market and a recent price cut, the Central Okanagan School District head office across from Orchard Park Mall, which...
Condoms in Kelowna high schools the goal of pilot project
KELOWNA - Condoms could soon be handed out to students around the Central Okanagan if a pilot project gains approval. The Central Okanagan School District is considering a request from the Interior Health Authority to allow local high schools to participate in a condom pilot project. The pilot project will supply participating schools within the...
Central Okanagan school trustees turn down pay raise
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school trustees, perhaps mindful of how it could be perceived during a budget deficit year, turned down the chance last week of giving themselves a raise. “I think trustees thought, in a time of budget constraints, that it was a bad idea,” school board chair Moyra Baxter says. Baxter still believes...
School board searching for $1.5 million in budget cuts
KELOWNA - Some late additions to the Central Okanagan school district’s 2015 budget has pushed the anticipated shortfall to $1.5 million on a budget of $220 million. “The superintendent wanted to add two programs he thought were worth supporting,” says secretary-treasurer Larry Paul, who pegged the cost of the programs at $133,000. “He’s looking to...
School bus users could bear the brunt as Central Okanagan school trustees balance budget
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school board trustees got their first look at recommendations on how to cut $1.3-million from next year’s $117-million budget last night. Chief amongst the recommendations from district staff is the doubling of the $100 annual fee for kids who use the school board’s bus system, an increase that will raise $400,000,...
School suspension rates dropping like a stone
KELOWNA - Suspension rates at Central Okanagan schools have been dropping steadily in the last five years, mirroring in part the decline in crime rates in communities across Canada. But the superintendent of schools for the Central Okanagan says the district can claim part of the credit for helping push down the suspension rates with...
Central Okanagan school district to find out its share of provincial budget pain
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school board officials are meeting tomorrow with the Ministry of Education to learn what its share of $29 million provincial budget cuts will be and where they might hit. Secretary treasurer Larry Paul is expecting a budget cut of aproximately $1.1 million, based on similar reductions in the last few years,...
Mar Jok Elementary School rings in Chinese New Year with grand opening
WEST KELOWNA - A new West Kelowna elementary school has held its grand opening and the opportunity to bring the Chinese New Year — year of the goat — into the celebration wasn't ignored. The event on Wednesday, Feb. 29 was attended by the family of Mar Jok, the new school's namesake. He immigrated to...
School trustees promise higher graduation rates in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Getting them to school is easy. Getting them to graduate is a bit tougher. That’s the conclusion of the student graduation and readiness report Central Okanagan school trustees will soon receive from staff. “It’s one of the big ways we measure student success,” superintendent Hugh Gloster says. The report by director of instruction...
Dwindling student body means grade changes coming for Rutland Senior Secondary
KELOWNA - The end of the echo boom is hitting Rutland Senior Secondary, forcing the Central Okanagan school district to change grade configurations or risk losing some of the school’s unique programming. “We had a wave of high school students pass through in the last few years,” the school district’s secretary-treasurer, Larry Paul says. “This...