While New Westminster parents are mulling the idea of combining the Royal City school district with Burnaby’s, the local school board chair has no opinion on the matter.
The New Westminster school district has been facing serious money problems, while neighbouring Burnaby has been relatively financially stable, yet school board chair Baljinder Narang said the board has no position on amalgamation.
“I don’t think we would comment,” Narang told the NOW. “We don’t have any position on this. We haven’t even talked about it. It would be naive to comment because we don’t have any control over it.”
While the idea of amalgamating the two districts has come up over the years, it’s not a decision the two school districts can make on their own – provincial cabinet would make the call.
“It’s really the province that would look at it,” Narang added. “We have no reason to be thinking about it.”
According to the NOW’s sister paper, the Royal City Record, angry New Westminster parents upset over the district’s financial problems and associated cuts have been calling for school trustees to resign, and some have raised the idea of New Westminster joining with Burnaby.
The New Westminster school district is facing serious financial problems, including a $5-million shortfall, while Burnaby has been relatively secure with stable enrolment numbers over the past several years.
– With files from Niki Hope.
