Residents affected by the proposed closure of West Vernon 
elementary, have one last chance to give input. The school district will hold its third and final public meeting from 5 to 6:30 today at the school. Chairman Bill Turanski says this one will have a different format from the previous two in that people will break into groups to discuss viable alternatives. While the board will deal with the possible closure at its meeting on the 20-th, Turanski has said he's not optimistic the school can remain open. Meantime, the North Okanagan Regional District is not going to let West Vernon close without putting up a fight.
elementary, have one last chance to give input. The school district will hold its third and final public meeting from 5 to 6:30 today at the school. Chairman Bill Turanski says this one will have a different format from the previous two in that people will break into groups to discuss viable alternatives. While the board will deal with the possible closure at its meeting on the 20-th, Turanski has said he's not optimistic the school can remain open. Meantime, the North Okanagan Regional District is not going to let West Vernon close without putting up a fight. 
Backed by a unanimous resolution from board members , NORD chairman Jerry Oglow will be personally attending the school board's next meeting, asking it to postpone its decision. 'The board is quite clear today that there has been a real break down in communication between the school district and local government as it relates to, in this specific instance, to West Vernon. Oglow says NORD will be demanding the school district consult with local government before deciding to close any schools. NORD members feel those discussions could result in ways to keep the schools open, or find viable alternatives.Lumby mayor Eric Foster, who's community went through a closure (Whitevale Elementary) last year, says the school board has to bring municipalities into the discussions. He tells KISS FM, I wouldn't want to be in their (trustees) position. It's tough and the funding formula makes it difficult but I think if we were able to get together on these issues six or seven months ago to brainstorm, there might have been something we could have come up with." Many NORD directors feel the funding method the provincial government uses for schools, which is on a per student basis, is the cause of the school closures and needs to be reviewed.
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