By CKPGToday

Student Enrolment Growing In SD57

Oct 4, 2017 | 2:19 PM

School District 57 is reporting a higher student enrollment this year than was originally anticipated.
“So on September 29th, we had our final enrolment count to determine what our school district budget will be,” explains Tim Bennett, Chair of the Board of Education for District 57. “Going into the school year, we were projecting a modest increase. Following that count, we are up. That increase is greater than we though it was going to be.
In fact, a preliminary count has around 250 more students than expected this year.
That is something of a reversal of fortunes for School District 57. Between 2002 and 2010, the District has been closing schools because of declining enrolment. A total of 22 schools were closed over the period of time.
The recent Supreme Court ruling about class sizes meant the District re-opened Springwood this year.
However, the additional students is leading to some schools reaching capacity. Quinson Elementary School has 40 kindergarten students, while Duchess Park is about 40 students over-capacity. However, those students have been placed.
“Capacity is going to be a high priority of this Board,” says Bennett.
He says a Facilities Report was conducted and turned over the to Board in 2015. It looked at projected enrolment to 2021. Bennett says those numbers were achieved this year. As such, the District has formed an ad hoc committee made up of District staff, Board members and parents looking at capacity and how best to address some of the issues.
“The Committee is looking at making recommendations that are long-standing,” explains Marilyn Marquis-Forster, Superintendent of District 57. “So not just what we do about September 2018, but how do we look at the way we serve our communities for a good long time? The next five to ten years.”
That ad hoc committee is in it very early stages.