Conseil scolaire Centre-Est, the school division that Ecole Beausejour is a part of, is looking into starting a francophone elementary school in Lac La Biche.
The school board recently hired Winnipeg company Ki Squared to look at the Lac La Biche area to see if there is a need for a francophone pre-Kindergarten to Grade 2 school in the area and where it should be located.
“There is a possibility of having the school in Lac La Biche but it depends on the community. It’s important to due diligence and find out where the student numbers will be,” said Marc Dumont, superintendent with Centre Est.
Although the viability and location of the school is still unknown at this time, Dumont says the school division has been in talks with the Northern Lights School Division discussing the possibility of occupying one of the vacant schools after NLSD students transfer over to the recently announced Bold Center high school.
“If Northern Lights School Division does vacate a school, we would certainly entertain the idea of occupying it,” said Dumont. But he says there would have to be a temporary school for the francophone students because the school division has plans of opening the school for the September 2012 school year.
The study is expected to be completed before January of this year and Centre Est officials will decide if they should proceed with the project.
But school officials say that the study won’t be the only factor in the decision-making process, and that parents need to voice their opinions if they want a francophone school in their county.
“Parents are the key. If they advise us that they are interested and want a francophone program, then they can help spread the word themselves and decide what they would like to see. We have never been of the mindset “Build it and they will come,” so the demand has to come from them,” said Dumont.
