On February 11, Steinbach Christian School (SCS) principal Thor Barkman invited parents to join him at Word of Life Mission Church for an informational evening to consider the next steps in bringing a Christian school to Niverville.
About 30 parents were in attendance, down from the approximate 100 who attended the first informational meetings on December 3.
“[The purpose of the meeting was] to communicate that SCS has approvals in place to operate a K-to-4 school in Niverville and will decide whether or not to proceed based on student applications,” Barkman told The Citizen. “As well, to indicate a bussing option from Niverville for next year if a critical number of parents sign up for that.”
The approvals of which Barkman speaks include local churches that are open to partnership in such an endeavour. Approval has also been received from the province to proceed, if demand warrants it.
“We have opened conversations with a number of excellent teaching staff familiar with the community, and we have established a rough budget for the startup,” Barkman adds.
The only question remaining is whether there will be enough solid interest from local families with children in the early-years grades.
“The next crucial step is for parents to commit to enrolling their children,” Barkman said in a later press release. “If we receive enough applications, we will make a final decision about the feasibility.”
Following the December informational meeting, parents were asked to submit forms indicating an expression of interest by early January. No firm commitment was required at that time.
Sixty responses of interest were received, with another 20 expressing future interest once their three- and four-year-old children age into the school system.
Still, parents will need to put their money where their mouths are to ensure the school becomes a reality. Between now and March 14, they are asked to submit an application of enrolment for children in Kindergarten to Grade Four, along with a tuition deposit of $1,950 per student.
“This deposit will enable the school to move forward with infrastructure development, teacher recruitment, and other necessary expenses,” the release states. “The deposit is fully refundable if there are not enough applications to proceed for fall 2025.”
The ideal teacher-to-student ratio, they believe, is one teacher to 15 students.
“SCS has an exciting lineup of staff who have expressed interest in being part of this. They will not hire until they know that they have the students. However, SCS is overwhelmed by the quality of the teachers ready to contribute to their community.”
Middle school and high school students, in this process, are not being overlooked. With enough interest demonstrated, SCS will provide a bus service for Niverville students to and from the Steinbach campus. The approximate cost will be $12 per day, which covers both the bus and driver.
“We want all families and students to have access to Christian education. While we can’t offer [Grades] 5 to 12 now, it doesn’t mean in the future Niverville won’t have it. For the time being, we will explore our options to get students to SCS.”
