By the BC Ministry of Education
Revelstoke-area families are being encouraged to attend an open house on Friday, March 10, to share their ideas on how to transform rural education in British Columbia.
Ministry of Education staff will host the event at Revelstoke Secondary School from 6-8 p.m.
Here, interested British Columbians and organizations can express their thoughts on rural education, sharing stories around the importance of rural schools and rural educational programs in a casual setting. Participants will engage in a more-formal facilitated discussion for the last hour of the meeting.
This open house is part of the public engagement process to help develop a rural education strategy by the summer of 2017.
The public can comment on the draft discussion paper summarizing what was heard from the first phase of rural education engagement, which included an online survey and discussion forum, at engage.gov.bc.ca/ruraleducation
More than 100 British Columbians shared their thoughts during the initial engagement through the survey. More than 250 comments were made on the rural education blog.
All feedback received will help government shape a final report on an integrated rural education strategy, including recommendations for the future. The strategy will aim to find long-term solutions for the unique challenges facing rural school districts and communities, including looking at the important social, cultural and economic roles that schools play for small communities.