Dear Editor: I am deeply disappointed with your “Special Report: New school is already too small” (the Record, March 22).
In collaboration with my project team, I have spent months recently engaging with our community in public small group meetings on our new secondary school and not once, has a reporter from the Record attended these discussions. Rather, a short impromptu interview with me at a school event and an interview with one other community member has formulated an incomplete report, which requires clarification for our community.
First, our new secondary school scheduled to open in September 2020 is not too small and will be able to accommodate all of our incoming students. The Province of B.C. is supporting the largest school investment in B.C. history, which will accommodate 1,900 Grade 9 to 12 students and will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment.
As we consider our future short-term enrolment growth, we will need to adjust our international student population. While we will be unable to maintain our current international student enrolment, it remains a vital and important program for our school district and community at large. The New Westminster school district is a leader in Canadian international education, and we are one of Canada’s longest running public school international education programs.
As we look at future long-term enrolment projections for our school district, our school board will be actively engaged in creating a long-term facilities plan which considers future enrolment growth for all of our schools.
In considering a variety of options, we are committed to working with all of our partner groups, including the City of New Westminster, which has been very supportive of our capital projects.
Looking ahead as the new superintendent of the New Westminster school district, the real and exciting “special report” is this: “With the support of our provincial government and board of education, we have announced three major capital projects, which include our new secondary school, a new McBride Elementary and a seismically upgraded Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School that will forever change our school district and equip our students with safe and innovative learning environments.”
Karim Hachlaf, superintendent, New Westminster school district
Editor’s note: The Record’s education reporter has attended two open houses for the New Westminster Secondary School replacement project, most recently March 10. The “short impromptu interview” referred to in the letter was a 14-minute conversation that took place prior to an event at the high school because the superintendent had not returned the reporter’s calls throughout the week. The conversation took place on the record.
