Balcarres Community School sees declining student numbers, loss of long-term staff: Mayor

Balcarres school dealing with declining staff WATCH: Balcarres Community School is dealing with declining staff and student numbers which has residents worried. Brady Lang reports.

Balcarres, Sask. — Balcarres Community School is dealing with declining staff and student numbers, but one mother in the community said the concerns go beyond that.

Darci Skjerven, a graduate of the school, made a choice when her son was just six weeks old. She wanted the same education she received for both her son and her daughter.

She moved back home, with memories of a school that worked with people of all different races and backgrounds, and a mix of vibrant cultures throughout the halls of Balcarres Community School.

Fast forward a few years later, Skjerven pulled both her children from the school, citing concerns over a lack of structure, a lack of consistent teachers, worries over school safety, and discipline within the school.

“My kids didn't want to go to school,” said Skjerven.

She added that her daughter, who needs medical care in Saskatoon frequently, mentioned something on one of the trips.

“She would have her Snapchat, and she would look at the stories and she'd be like, ‘Oh my God, there's another fight at the school,’” said Skjerven.

Skjerven is not alone, either. She is part of a large group of parents and guardians who have decided to move their students elsewhere, such as North Valley located in Lemberg and Neudorf, Ituna, Fort Qu’Appelle and even as far away as Melville.

The division said it takes all matters, including bullying, seriously.

“Prairie Valley has long-standing expectations when it comes to the behaviour of our students. Instances of bullying are dealt with quickly and dealt with on a case by case basis at all schools,” read a statement from the division.

Acting Balcarres Mayor Kirby Korchinski, said he has kept an eye on the situation after hearing allegations surrounding vandalism, break and enters, fights on Main Street, businesses unable to welcome more than one student at a time during lunch hours, and wanted to fix the problems.

“As a town, we've tried to create a bit of a park on Main Street to give them a place to gather. You know, that really hasn't worked. They haven't kind of taken up on that space, and they tend to kind of congregate in front of the doors to the grocery store. Folks find that a little bit intimidating when there's a bunch of young folks around,” he said.

In response, Prairie Valley School Division said that all schools have occasional disciplinary issues they must deal with and are supported by other agencies at times.

“The RCMP are in our schools as often as possible. Part of their work is to help respond to incidents, other times they are in our school to work proactively and build positive relationships through community engagement,” read the statement.

Korchinski said another major worry is the lack of 30 level Pre-Calculus and Calculus, Biology 30, and Chemistry 30. He said he wasn’t able to access Balcarres’ class list through the school but pieced together a class list by speaking to administrators at the school.

“I, myself, was kind of surprised that you can run a high school in Saskatchewan that doesn’t offer those courses,” he said.

He said he had gone to the school and was promised that someone would send him something but said he never received it.

The division responded to the complaints of the lack of courses.

“All courses are available, either in person or online. Course offerings are based on students’ and parents’ requests in all of our high schools,” read the PVSD statement.

At least 13 staff members have left Balcarres Community School within the last calendar school year, which includes teachers with over 20 years of experience at the school, according to a Facebook post by the school in June.

The division said it’s inevitable to see these changes.

“People leave for other opportunities and to broaden their experiences. They are replaced by new people with new skills and perspectives. This is healthy and normal – both in Balcarres Community School and our other schools,” read the statement.

For Korchinski, he believes this shows a larger issue. Those long-term staff members have left, and he fears they will not return to the community of over 500.

“We're not going to get them back. They're there. They're gone for our school system. They're going to finish their schooling in those other communities. They start to lose connection to their home in Balcarres, or the immediate area,” he said.

The Town of Balcarres said it plans to meet with the Prairie Valley School Division by early-October.

For Skjerven, she worries that without change at the school, the future doesn’t look bright.

“If things don't change, the school’s going to shut down, and that's very disturbing,” she said.