The Kamloops-Thompson School District says it expects to come out with more details early next week on how it will house displaced students and teachers from Parkcrest Elementary.
Students will be out of school next week, but the goal is to have students ‘in some form of school’ by September 16. Superintendent Alison Sidow says the goal is to keep students and staff together and avoid spreading them around the district.
“And if we are able to do that, I think we’ll mitigate some of the trauma and the challenges that our youngsters are going to experience as they come back after having lost essentially their second home,” she said. “Parkcrest is a tight-knit family of staff and students and we want to ensure that they’re there to support one another.”
Officials have a ‘preferred plan’ in mind, but did not reveal what that might be. However, they did say that all options are on the table, including reopening a previously closed school.
School Board chair Kathleen Karpuk says replacing Parkcrest Elementary is realistically two years away, adding it’s now the top priority for capital funding requests in the school district. A replacement school is estimated to cost between $18 million and $20 million.
Karpuk says there is no one facility available that could accommodate all 350-plus students and about 40 staff, but reiterated the goal is to keep students together.
“We will definitely be focused on getting Parkcrest built. Our schools are at capacity,” Karpuk added. “Parkcrest was a very large elementary school for our district, and there were 16 classrooms in that school. We don’t have a lot of buildings that have that number of classrooms.”
Acting fire chief Steve Robinson says no one is allowed in what is left of the school because of structural concerns.
“Our personnel were on site last night over night and are still working the scene today,” he said. “Kamloops Fire Investigators are now also working the scene to try and determine the cause of the fire, and we will be working on that over the next few days.”
He did confirm that the efforts of firefighters was hampered by the fact that the school – which was built in the 1960s – did not have a sprinkler system.
At the time of there fire, there were three people in the school building – a teacher and two custodians. Sidow said they called 911, and the trio, while impacted, are holding up well. There were no injuries, however a class-pet bunny named Thumper was killed.
Sidow did also confirm that teachers and staff at Parkcrest Elementary School will be compensated at their regular salary or hourly wages for the next week. They will be working out of the Henry Grube Learning Centre awaiting for information about the future.
.@Kamloops_SD73 superintendent @alisidow says “Parkcrest is gone, but we will rebuild.” A team is in place to find out options to have students back into a school of some sort by Monday, Sept. 16. #Kamloops @RadioNLNews pic.twitter.com/y9y0uy11PT
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) September 6, 2019
It could cost between $18 and $20 million to replace Parkcrest Elementary. Needs are being evaluated. Also all options are on the table, including reopening a previously closed school. #Kamloops @RadioNLNews
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) September 6, 2019
Board chair @kkarpuk says Parkcrest Elementary has been raised to the top of the @Kamloops_SD73‘s capital priority list. Adds there isn’t one building that can house all 350+ students, as other schools are at capacity. #Kamloops @RadioNLNews
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) September 6, 2019
– With files from Colton Davies and Jeff Andreas