Demographics blamed for changes to Calgary school

The Calgary public school board's plan to turn Dalhousie School into a Spanish immersion program and move students to a nearby school is not running into the kind of opposition that often greets such changes.

Dalhousie parents invited to talk about the plan at a meeting Wednesday evening initially had little to say.

While parents eventually did ask a few questions, many were like Michelle Mah who said she's not going to fight the change, even though she's not happy about it.

"You know, I've had lots of sad days. We just thought our kids would go to school here and finish their elementary school here," said Mah, who lives two blocks from the school.

The move is not about saving money — as is often the case in such situations — but rather it is about the area's changing demographics, say board officials.

Like the northwest neighbhourhood's screen-doored bungalows and canopying trees, the people in Dalhousie are getting older and there are fewer and fewer school-aged children.

"It's an issue that we're facing all throughout Calgary," said Calgary Board of Education spokesman Ted Flitton. "We know where the people are. We don't have schools in those areas. Some areas where we do have schools, we don't have school-aged children."

The board's plans to send students from Dalhousie School two kilometres down the road to West Dalhousie Elementary School. Trustees are expected to make a final decision about the move later this winter.