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Enrolment up in school district

Student enrolment in School District 57 is slightly up after years of constant decline. The preliminary report presented at Tuesday night's board meeting showed 12,728 students this school year compared to 12,654 the year before.
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Student enrolment in School District 57 is slightly up after years of constant decline.

The preliminary report presented at Tuesday night's board meeting showed 12,728 students this school year compared to 12,654 the year before.

That's a difference of 74 students. This total is also a touch higher than the student population in the previous two school years.

"This is a good news story," said trustee Tim Bennett, echoing trustee Bob Harris' suggestion that it was "perhaps a good omen" for upcoming budgets.

It's the first time in at least five years the district has seen a slight uptick in its entrants, but it's still lower than 2012-13, when 12,977 students signed up for public schools. But chairperson Tony Cable turned his attention to 12 schools in the report that are already overcrowded.

"The thing that stands out for me are the schools that are over their operating capacity," said Cable.

Top offenders include Duchess Park's 980 students, or 80 more than it should have; Heritage Elementary with 379, or 50 extra students; Glenview Elementary with 255, or 50 more students; and Hart Highlands with 345 students, or 47 more.

"I know the district has got their eye on these schools," Cable said. "We may have to make some important decisions about these."

The district's Long Range Facility report, published in May, also predicted capacity numbers in some of the more stressed schools to continue to rise. Duchess Park, for example, is expected to be 128 per cent capacity by 2023.

It currently is operating just over 100 per cent with 41 extra students above its 600-student limit.

The numbers in Prince George offer a stark contrast to the reality in rural schools.

McBride's elementary and secondary are both operating at less than half capacity. Mackenzie, meanwhile, is seeing strong numbers at the elementary level with it almost 10 per cent over capacity.

The secondary school is well under half enrolment with 205 students this year with space for 550.

"The rural capacity rates affect our overall targets... That affects our capital funding," noted Trustee Brenda Hooker in reference to the Ministry of Education's target that schools operate at 95 per cent capacity.

"I think (the report) is very good visual to illustrate the point we were trying to raise with the Minister (of Education)," Hooker said, about rural challenges.

Schools operating over capacity challenge the resources available to students, said trustee Sharel Warrington.

"You have to look at the services that can be provided in the school... where every space is being used fully," she said.