Survey generating ‘tremendous’ interest in former school site

Whitevale Elementary School on Whitevale Road closed in 2006 due to enrolment decline.

Whitevale Elementary (photo courtesy of Lumby Museum)

SD22 secretary treasurer Adrian Johnson said the survey generated over 350 responses since May 2, which he called a “tremendous amount of engagement.”

People can take the survey until 11:45 p.m. on May 28.

Johnson didn’t provide the results of the poll, but said sometimes people ask if the district has sufficient space at the schools in the Lumby area, J.W. Inglis Elementary and Charles Bloom Secondary.

“We do have sufficient space,” Johnson replied. “Our projections are that enrolment at these schools will gently decline over the next twenty years. That comes as a surprise to people, given the number of young families moving to Lumby and the surrounding area.”

The School District updated the form on May 6 to provide the following background:

“Young families are relocating to the Lumby area. This is not, however, resulting in growing school enrolment. Without that migration, about 63 births a year in the catchment area are needed to keep up J.W. Inglis Elementary’s current enrolment. There were only 45 such births in 2022. This steady stream of young families moving in offsets that shortfall, maintaining the current school age population. Operating another school in the area would cost money. The School District’s funding is based on enrolment, not the number of schools. If the School District were to reopen Whitevale Elementary without additional enrolment to support it, the extra costs would have to be offset by a reduction in other services across the School District, such as specialist teachers or education assistants. (School District 22)

Johnson said if the former school site is better suited as a community centre or similar facility, selling the property could enable a dedicated operator to develop it for community benefit.

“The same applies for child care. For example, the School District sold the former West Vernon Elementary School to a child care provider in 2013,” Johnson stated.

According to the Lumby Museum, Whitevale Elementary opened in 1977 with 133 students attending. The building and grounds are located on 7.5 acres.

The museum said the school had a modern and unique design but was abandoned in 2006 as the mills in Lumby closed and families moved away.

North Valley Gymnastics had been using part of the school since 2022 after losing their facility in Vernon to a fire in October 2021, but is now using a new facility at The Vaults on Anderson Way.

If you want to take the survey, click here.

by Pete McIntyre

Survey generating ‘tremendous’ interest in former school site

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