Values-Focused, Tuition-Free School Proposed by BC Community’s Residents

An elementary school classroom in Vancouver on April 13, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A handful of Vernon, B.C., residents who are concerned about the state of children’s education are working on the launch of an alternative school that will focus on academics and character development.

“It grew out of a frustration that you can’t even have a conversation within the schools; within the PAC [parent advisory council] meetings, within the school district,” said Clayton Ellams, who taught high school for 10 years and is one of the directors of the project.

Dubbed Vernon Oak Learning, the incorporated non-profit society is behind the planned elementary school in B.C.’s Okanagan region.

The other directors are Lee Warzechna, a retired paramedic who says children need a better quality education to become well-rounded citizens; Sibille Beyer, a parent who stayed home to raise her family and has worked in Vernon’s children and youth organizations; and Amber Stamm’ler, a mom and local family fruit grower. Also involved is Tal Salisbury, who ran a small business with his wife and says, as a grandfather, he felt an urgency to help develop the next generation.

The five residents have hired an education consultant who is guiding them through the application process to become a government-approved independent school.

All of the organizers say they want to bring something more to children in the community when it comes to education. They say the idea for a school solidified when they faced resistance after raising questions about certain issues with the local school board.

“We just had some very basic questions about the structure, and anti-bullying [programs] and SOGI, and they refused to take any questions,” Mr. Ellams told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.

SOGI 123 is the B.C. Government’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity resource, which has sparked ongoing protests in the province, with hundreds gathering in Abbotsford at the start of June to call for an end to SOGI materials in classrooms. Last year, protesters across Canada held rallies to raise awareness of similar curriculum being taught in schools.

Values-Based Education

The plan is to open in September 2025 with classes for kindergarten to Grade 2, as well as a preschool.

The school will “encourage the development of stand-up citizens who respect one another and have solid morals,” according to the Vernon Oak Elementary website. It will also focus on strengthening students’ academic performance in math, science, and English.

“Children will learn the basics before relying on technology, from multiplication tables to cursive writing,” the website says.

The curriculum will not be religious-based but rather teach students about various religions and the existence of a “greater power.”

“This school will not appeal to everyone. However, it will provide all parents with an additional choice of education for their child,” the website says. “Our school will satisfy the requirements set out by the Ministry, however, we will only be accountable to the parents and the children who attend our school and share our values.”

Opting Out of SOGI

The directors want to change how anti-bullying instruction is taught to children, and SOGI 123 will not be used in the school.

There is “too much emphasis on that topic,” Ms. Stamm’ler said, adding every child is welcome and no one will be discriminated against.

“In our anti-bullying policy, we will teach children to accept everyone exactly the way that they are, but not by pointing out the differences, but ignoring the differences and focusing on how we are the same.”

Those in the school community will need to commit to the vision of the board, and parents will have to read and sign school policies signifying their agreement, she said.

“We want to stay true to what we value and the vision that we have,” Ms. Stamm’ler said.

Fundraising

The school needs to raise about a million dollars to get up and running, according to its GoFundMe page. The money will ensure that the school is open to all students without the need for tuition, organizers say.

That’s something that has been more of a struggle than anticipated, Ms. Stamm’ler said in the interview.

“We are getting people that are excited. They even want to enrol their kids in the school. But then there’s no donations coming in,” she said. “I don’t think it’s because people don’t want it. It’s something else, and maybe people just don’t have the funds. Maybe people are really struggling more than we thought.”

The board plans to apply as a Group 2 independent school, which in B.C. entitles it to receive 35 percent of the funding that public schools receive per student. After the first year, the hope is to become a Group 1 school, with 50 percent funding.

The board has been looking at a few schools in Alberta as well as the Michaela Community School in England as examples of what they would like to build.

“We want this to be successful so that we can mentor other people to take the exact same steps as we are and to have this school open up everywhere,” Ms. Stamm’ler said.

But the board may have to reconsider its plans if the school can’t get any funding by the end of summer, she added, saying “we cannot start a school without funds.”