An uncommon relationship and unique model for education exists in Powell River.
According to Vancouver Island University (VIU) Powell River campus administrator Greg Cran, the local university would not be sustainable without VIU and School District 47 working together.
“This campus in particular has more or less thrived because of the relationship with School District 47,” said Cran, “and families and students see starting off in Powell River as being important.”
In June, Brooks Secondary School’s graduating class was comprised of only about 100 students, making it the smallest in school history. After years of decline, enrolment from kindergarten to grade 12 in the region stabilized in 2016/2017.
Those numbers are not enough for VIU to remain viable, said Cran.
“If we were to rely only on the K-to-12 system, we would be out of business,” he said.
Cran said that education in the region is a huge economic driver. School District 47’s annual budget is about $20 million, which is comparable to City of Powell River’s annual operating budget of about $22 million.
“The more we can draw students and families to this area, the greater the opportunity there is to see that economic benefit spread throughout the region,” said Cran.
Some economic development studies have been done to back that up, according to school district superintendent Jay Yule.
“As one of the biggest employers in the community, if you put ourselves and VIU together we're certainly right up there,” said Yule.
The school district and VIU look at education from kindergarten to adult as being seamless, said Yule.
“We think it's really important to have that relationship, especially in a smaller community, so we've tried to create as many programs as possible that are collaborative,” said Yule. “Students are able to gain university credit in the senior grades that puts them ahead of all of their peers in the province.”
In terms of integration, Yule said VIU and the school district offer all of the trades, including automotive, welding, carpentry and culinary, as well as outdoor learning, international programs, first nations programs and academic dual-credit programs. The two institutions are working on agriculture and aquaculture programs as well, he added.
The inclusion of City of Powell River and Tla'amin Nation adds yet another level of interest and opportunity no other school district in the province has ever had a chance to experience. The integration between School District 47 and VIU is considered a leader in BC for building as many courses as possible that allow for dual-credit transfers.
“That is unique; we don't have it to the same extent on our other campuses,” said Cran. “At other universities I've taught at, you don't have nearly the same course opportunities for high school students to receive dual credit.”
School district students are able to take VIU-related courses for credit, which means they will have credit within VIU and for K-to-12 graduation, according to Cran.
The relationship between the school district and VIU succeeds because both institutions, families, students and the community as a whole recognize the importance of having Powell River’s young people remain in the area.
To accomplish that, Cran said it simply makes sense for youth to be given the opportunity to connect to post-secondary education by making courses available here.
