Dear Max, obviously you have not been taking care of yourself during this very sunny stretch of weather, as your last opinion piece about the Whistler Waldorf School (WWS) lease predicament sounded like you composed it in the depths of a heat stroke stupor. So I have taken it upon myself to clarify a few of your Trumpian facts, as I believe it is only myself, JJ and a few other deadbeats that still read your column.
So, let me begin to enlighten you, Max. WWS is not a “private” school. I was beginning to wonder if you wrote your latest article as a bet with JJ to see how many times you could get the word “private” in. Five is a darn good effort in such a short opinion piece—well done, sir!
WWS is a non-profit society and accredited by the B.C. Ministry of Education as a Group 1 independent school. Provincial funding is capped at 50 per cent of the per-student allowance equivalent to full-time attendance within SD48. WWS is also ineligible for capital grant funding, including for school property and equipment through the provincial government. To bridge the gap between government funding and the cost of educating its students, WWS charges tuition and actively fundraises through grants and private donations. Ensuring educational accessibility is a key component of the school community and WWS offers new student scholarships and provides tuition adjustments to between 20 and 35 per cent of its students annually.
In the past, WWS has tried to work with landowners and developers, but the former CAO’s thinking at the time was that the school was not a significant community benefit, and that bed units could not be part of the deal.
WedgeWoods was outside the municipal boundaries, leading to objections. It increased the school’s environmental impact and would have limited daycare accessibility.
The Summit Centre would have provided extensive community amenities and had strong community support. Sadly, COVID hit three weeks after it launched and the project came to an end. That land is now up for sale.
WWS wanted to open up the Spruce Grove Field House for community groups outside of school hours, but its lease with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) did not allow for this. WWS had offered to give up the Spruce Grove Field House, and asked to build a few more classrooms on the very small parcel of the park that WWS occupies. WWS had been working with RMOW staff for the past year and spent thousands on plans believing new spaces would be a win-win for the school and larger community. How great would it have been for the Mature Action Community to have had a space within this footprint, so that the community elders could interact with its youth?
As a side note, the Audain Art Museum is a “private” gallery/museum and was built on public land that was earmarked for future development as a public park. I’m delighted the zoning was changed and feel very privileged that we now have this world-class institution in our community!
Whether or not one’s child receives the education offered by WWS, the organization contributes significantly to the educational fabric of our community and generates a substantial flow of financial resources that positively impacts individuals and the broader business community. From the school’s annual budget of $3.2 million, it is estimated WWS generates approximately $2 million in local economic benefits.
The WWS community is made up of various professions, all of whom feel privileged to be able to send their children to an alternative school, but take offence to you labelling them as entitled.
All community groups should be able to eke out an existence in this very small area of Spruce Grove. There really is not a good reason for everyone to come together and make this happen.
So Max, my friend, please follow our Aussie mates’ advice of slip, slop and slap during this prolonged sunny spell. I’m worried about you! And do not judge before you have all the facts, and that’s good advice to some of our councillors, too.
Lots of love, your favourite picture framer, Harvey xo.
