Shellbrook teacher, mayor say new school needed despite NDP critique
CBC
Enough money was found in Saskatchewan's tight provincial budget to build a new school in Premier Scott Moe's constituency and hometown of Shellbrook.
At a news conference on Monday, NDP Leader Carla Beck accused Moe of political favouritism for that decision, but the affected community and the Sask. Party say they strongly disagree.
Pamela Boettcher was a teacher at the elementary school for 17 years, and now teaches at the high school. She also sits on the Shellbrook town council.
"Our roof is just absolutely falling apart," Boettcher said.
"When it rains outside, it rains inside. Right now in the hallways, there's buckets everywhere. They're always fixing it, but it doesn't matter how much repair is put into it, and how many dollars they put into the school. It just never seems like it's enough."
The new school, which will be a combined elementary and high school for about 450 students, has been approved for construction while other projects are put on pause.
Boettcher said her father attended the high school in the 1950s, and it wasn't new back then, either. She said the community started advocating for a new school about 24 years ago, when it was a part of an entirely different school division.
"We've always advocated for a new school, we've always requested and jumped up and down in desperation, sent videos and pictures," she said.
"If you walk into the school right now, because of the melt, there are buckets everywhere. And I mean, it's not that they haven't poured thousands and thousands of dollars into trying."
The Opposition NDP said in a Monday statement that more than 200 schools in 103 different Saskatchewan communities are in worse shape, based exclusively on a government capital planning report. Some of the data in the report is almost six years old.
Shellbrook Mayor Amund Otterson said he was a high school science teacher for 30 years, ending in 2004.
The opposite of favouritism from Moe is usually the case, he said, citing the fact that the town was denied funding for a new water treatment plant multiple times.
"[Premier Moe] is very careful about appearing to favour his own community, and so much so, I would say somewhat to our detriment," Otterson said.
"He's so afraid of looking like he's favouring his own community that some things are set aside or we're not considered a priority."
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