De ja vu all over again

Eyebrow and district residents are disappointed the Prairie South School Division has put their school under review for closure two years in a row.
"We were surprised," said community school chairman Phil Bueckert. "We thought, after last year, that was it."
The community hoped the school division would hold off on any closures for one year, he said. "With the new government we'd like to wait and see what funding it has."
Bueckert heard at least one division has postponed school closure reviews until the new government's rural school policy is known.
Enrolment figures are an issue because the division uses Sept. 30 figures, he said.
"We had a bit of a bump in enrolment. Most of it was one family that took its kids to Central Butte. We've recovered that since with new people coming in."
Closure of the school will damage the community's new economic development strategy partly based on having a school open.
The community school council will work with the division and use a Jan. 28 public meeting to "try and get them to see our point of view."
"The division is doing what it thinks is best," said Bueckert.
Robin Matthews of the Eyebrow district will be attending the public meeting to save the local school from closure in June.
"(The meeting will be) our last kick at the cat," she said
"If we lose the school we lose the town," said Matthews. "Losing the school is the first step. We're struggling enough to keep the town going.
"It's a shame there aren't enough kids."
Attending another school isn't necessarily a good experience for students, she said.
"Our kids wanted to go to the big school in the city. They came back after a year. It wasn't any better."
Last year the Eyebrow School was removed from the closure file when the board decided some handicapped children would not be served adequately by busing.
"That is still a factor. We have one student who is medically-sensitive and we have a couple that are in a level of concern," said Prairie South School Division board chairman Gord Stewart.
Enrolment dropped to 53 from 64 last year.
Stewart said enrolment decline was accelerated when some parents from the Tugaske district took their children to Central Butte.
Matthews said the Tugaske family chose Central Butte School because it has more activities.
"I don't know why Eyebrow doesn't have more activities," she said. "Maybe it doesn't get the funding."
Prairie South closed schools in Briercrest, Crane Valley, Limerick, Willow Bunch and Moose Jaw's Ross School in 2007 after the review.

Ron Walter can be reached at 691-1264.