Nanaimo-Ladysmith school trustees have done an about-face and will not phase out the late French immersion program.
SD68's business committee recommended ending the program, which allows students entry in Grade 6 at École Quarterway, over the next year and a half; however, the board voted against folding the program at its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Based on a motion from Greg Keller, board vice-chairperson, the district will make efforts to promote the program for 2025-26, with staff reporting back to the board on enrolment in the fall. The motion passed unanimously.
In a committee report, staff cited enrolment numbers as a reason with "low uptake on late French immersion in addition to consistent attrition from Grade 6 to 7." In the program's 10 years of existence, there have been 16-27 students in Grade 6 per year, with 20 in 2024-25, and 17-25 students in Grade 7, including 25 this fall.
Numerous stakeholders expressed surprise at how suddenly the proposal was announced, including the Nanaimo District Teachers' Association and district parent advisory council.
Jo Cornthwaite, NDTA president, was scheduled to speak on the virtues of the program at the Dec. 18 meeting, and lauded the decision. The district received 32 pieces of correspondence on the topic from concerned people and groups and the boardroom was packed with concerned families.
Jessica Krog-Irving, DPAC president, told the News Bulletin last week she thought the district could've done a better job promoting the program, something echoed by Canadian Parents for French, a non-profit advocating for bilingualism.
In an e-mail, Jason Howe, CPF B.C. and Yukon executive director, said his organization notified the district and expressed its concerns. Further, he pointed to Ministry of Education policy stating that in cases of insufficient enrolment, school districts should discuss solutions with parents and provide at least one year's notice before cancellation.
Naomi Bailey, school board chairperson who had children in the program, said she appreciated the feedback, but pointed to the district’s goals to improve numeracy and literacy. Schools are funded by numbers, she said.
“Every single letter I got had really strong arguments, it’s just that the other piece of it was how do we improve all the literacy and numeracy rates when we know there’s areas that we need to really work on in this district? … the numbers really are not there,” said Bailey. “We just need to see growth in that area.”
As it stands, French immersion schools in the district are École Hammond Bay, Quarterway, North Oyster and Pauline Haarer, with students progressing to both Nanaimo District and Ladysmith secondary schools.
