SD73 reverses course on arts studio closure at Kamloops School of the Arts after parental outcry

“We’re really glad to see that focus on an arts-based education is still a priority for the school district.”

While the school district still maintains the elementary arts program was never in jeopardy, district officials say they listened to the concerns and were able to regroup and find “something that is equitable for everyone involved.”

“We were able to find a space that will not impact current or future student programing, maintains the the art classroom and the facilities within that classroom,” SD73 Superintendent Mike St. John said.

“We welcome a space that will open a space that will welcome a number of students into our system in this area that is, as I said, designed to have class on the south shore to best accommodate all of our all of our kids that need it.”

NEW – @Kamloops_SD73 is reversing its decision to repurpose the current elementary art studio at #Kamloops School of the Arts into a second district resource room.

More tonight @CFJC_Today pic.twitter.com/CDxriW6j5C

— Victor Kaisar (@supermario_47) April 28, 2026

Tuesday’s development comes weeks after parents first raised concerns with little-to-no response from the school district. Those parents were worried if they didn’t hear back by the end of this school year, it would have been too late to prevent the changes from taking effect in the fall.

“These are programs that run on entirely different schedules,” Dolson told CFJC Today Tuesday morning prior to SD73 issuing its statement.

“The secondary art studio is already full of secondary students working on their own fine arts projects. To say there will be the option to include elementary students at the same quality level we have come to expect within the elementary art studio in the program is simply inaccurate.”

St. John said Tuesday the elementary art room is “pretty much right across the hall” from the current District Resource Room at KSA. The new location is further away in the school, though he did not say where exactly it is. That information, he noted, will be communicated directly to parents.

“I know that parents had identified that [location] as a concern, but there is a great deal of care and intentionality put into individualized programs,” St. John said. “Some children require more supports, while others don’t need much at all.”

“This would probably alleviate the concerns a bit, because [the location is] a little further away from from the elementary art room. But how this really does play out is we didn’t anticipate it or consider it a safety issue to begin with.”

While there are still some questions about what the new space could look like, concerned KSA parents like Dolson can now breathe a sigh of relief.

“It’s great to see those pivots are happening, even if the consultation didn’t happen in the way that we would have hoped for,” Dolson said. “I would hope the district now recognizes how invested we are in our children’s education here at KSA, and for kids across the district as well who are deserving of of good, solid education that isn’t impacted by budget and space constraints.”

The school district disagrees there was a lack of communication, saying it followed its processes around determining operational needs. It said those discussions don’t typically involve asking parents directly, but notes the decision was communicated to the district PAC chair and other affected groups.

The new District Resource Room will also the require the hiring of staff, St. John added, noting the district will not ask existing staff to take on additional duties to ensure the space is functional. He couldn’t say what staffing will look like as the district is in the middle of its process to figure that out.

“It’s a long-term decision, not based on the students that are here right now, but those who we anticipate will be here and benefit from being an inclusive setting such as that in years to come,” he added.

As for Dolson, she said KSA parents plan to continue advocating for arts-based education in the Kamloops area, as it is often the first thing to get cut during tougher economic times.

“We are seeing the dismantling of our education system or public education system, and arts programming is part of that,” Dolson said. “Budget constraints, space constraints and decades of underfunding from the province are leading the school district to make really difficult choices and we want to be sure that in School District 73 that is not happening.”

“We sympathize with the really difficult position they’re in, but we’re not seeing enough effort, goodwill, consultation and creativity in solving these problems in a way that doesn’t impact students.”

by Victor Kaisar

SD73 reverses course on arts studio closure at Kamloops School of the Arts after parental outcry

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