REGINA – More students is good news to Regina Public Schools.
“We’re up almost 550 students, so significant growth in our division,” said Katherine Gagne, chair of the Regina Public School board.
The downside is the board had been planning for about 100 more.
Regina Catholic Schools were short of projections by almost half, though the division is confident it will still reach 300 new students.
“We see enrolment increases not just during the summer, but throughout the year,” said Noah Wernikowski, a Regina Catholic Schools spokesperson. “That’s part of the reason we haven’t met projections.”
Those projections are made near the end of school years, and are refined by September 30.
The number is sent to the government to determine “funding per student”, which makes up a significant portion of school budgets.
The education ministry is keeping a close eye.
“We’re expecting a significant increase in enrolment across the province,” said education minister Don Morgan. “We’re looking at options to provide additional classroom space (in Saskatoon and Regina).”
Construction of that space is determined by enrolment numbers as well as projected areas of population growth.
Harbour Landing is just one underserved area in Regina, while school boards struggle to fill classrooms elsewhere.
“There are some schools where population is declining,” said Gagne. “How do we look at programming to get students going to different schools or stay in neighbourhood schools?”
Gagne says the board prefers that approach over changing boundaries, in the event a new school doesn’t break ground in the city by the end of 2014.
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