A signature program in the Kootenay-Columbia school district will say a long goodbye.
Trustees have voted to end the K-4 Russian language and culture program at Castlegar Primary and Twin Rivers Elementary once the incoming Grade 1 class completes Grade 4.
Due to declining enrolment, there will be no Russian kindergarten class when school resumes in September.
Board chair Catherine Zaitsoff, who is also a Castlegar trustee, said the program has faced enrollment challenges for several years, and the difficult decision to end it was made despite the best efforts of parents and staff to prop numbers up.
“There’s no understating the cultural and educational significance of this program, and it is incredibly hard,” she said. “We really do understand the sadness and the impact that the loss of the program is going to have.
“The decision was only made after careful consideration and significant work by the senior staff to meet with the community to present the issue.”
In 2024-25, there were 12 students enrolled at the kindergarten level, four in Grade 1, 11 in Grade 2, nine in Grade 3, and 18 in Grade 4. To make the numbers work, the K-1 and 2-3 classes were combined.
The program, also referred to as Russian immersion, has been in the district since 1983. Zaitsoff said it’s not clear why enrolment has dropped off.
“That is the ultimate question, and if we could figure that out, then we’d be able to address any of these issues,” she said. “I think ultimately today families face such a variety of complex challenges and decisions when you’re deciding to register your children for kindergarten.”
Zaitsoff said she hopes some “place-based units” can be retained in district schools to teach students about local Russian heritage, “and hopefully give that to all students because we don’t want to lose the impact that the program has had.”
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