SD57 struggles as student enrollment takes a dive

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A release by the District says that their regular classroom student enrollment from Kindergarten to Grade 12 is down nearly 425 full-time equivalent (FTE) from the 2019-2020 school year and could continue to decline over the next week.

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The District receives funding from the Ministry of Education on a per-student FTE basis, meaning that the decrease could result in a $3.2 million reduction in enrollment funding. Richardson says that there is some light amidst all the dark, with an increase of nearly 146 student FTE—in comparison to the previous school year—in their Distributed Learning program.

“This represents a significant increase in our program, particularly in elementary, and will add approximately $900,000 in student enrolling funding.”—Anita Richardson, Superintendent, SD57

The $900,000 is more than $200,000 less than what would have been generated if the students had instead chosen in-class learning.

“While there may be some disruption for students in schools whose classes are reorganized to recognize this budget challenge, we are doing our best to ensure we have appropriate supports in place for both students and staff,” adds Richardson. SD57’s Superintendent says she believes that they will be able to find placements for their teachers, with (in most cases) teachers on continuing contracts being provided the opportunity to work in other positions.

“The district is adding staffing in areas such as Distributed Learning, transitional support and home supports to address some of the increased challenges in those areas.”—Anita Richardson, Superintendent, SD57

While teachers on limited duration contracts may be given the opportunity to become Teachers Teaching on Call, until other positions become available.

The District says that final school-based decisions will not be made until final student enrollment is known, and that there may be movement of students between some of the District’s “bricks and mortar” schools. SD57 has received funding from both, provincial and federal governments, which will be utilized for specific items identified by the provincial government, as well as learning and resource supports, and health and safety measures, as determined necessary.