St. Vital families brace for shuffling of schools

WINNIPEG – Parents in the Louis Riel School Division are being told their children could be going to a different school next year, but where is still unknown.

The division is dealing with major overcrowding at some schools in south St. Vital and empty classrooms in others.

“I know they are going to be changing it to French next year and my son is not French,” said Sarah Maclin, whose son is in Grade 1 at Victor Wyatt School.

The school division is considering turning her son’s school into a grades 6-8 French immersion school and moving English-only students to a different school.

“He went to this school for kindergarten and Grade 1 and for him to learn he has to go to a different school — he cried,” said Maclin.

The division said the changes are necessary because its two French immersion schools in south St. Vital are bursting at the seams, while classrooms in six English schools in south St. Vital sit empty. Demand for French immersion is growing: LRSD said it has almost 40 per cent of students in French immersion now, up from 25 per cent a few years ago. Eleven of 40 schools are French immersion.

A recent survey of parents in the new Sage Creek development showed almost half want their kids in French immersion.

“Our school Ecole St. Germaine cannot function another year as it is — we have lost all space,” said Jan Thiessen, who is on the parent council of the K-8 French immersion school. The division is looking at making it a K-5 French immersion school.

In total, eight schools — six English and two French immersion — could see major changes that would affect thousands of families.

“There’s going to kids affected all over the place,” said Thiessen, “whether it means changing schools, changing friends in their schools, new teachers, new administration.”

Parents will be informed of what the division decides at a Jan. 7 board meeting.