By Sheldon Spackman

Declining enrollment resulting in budget deficit for Wild Rose School Division

Nov 26, 2018 | 8:00 AM

Declining enrollments are expected to result in a significant budget deficit in the 2017-2018 school year for the Wild Rose School Division.

According to the District’s Annual Education Results Report and Three-year Education Plan, an unanticipated decline of 130 students last year, and 294 students from three years ago, has resulted in a $550,000 deficit, leaving reserves at what is described as an adequate amount of five percent of revenues.

Officials say the District is also continuing its efforts in improving facility utilization rates by reducing capacity at the new Evergreen replacement school and removing nine older modular units nearing the end of their life-cycle at Eldorado Elementary School.

Construction of the new Evergreen replacement school is anticipated to get underway in the spring and be completed by January 2021 on the same site as the former school which was demolished over the summer.

Officials add the highest priority in the District’s capital plan is to reduce from three school buildings to two in the corridor, resulting in the closing of David Thompson High School by December 31, 2020 and putting all K-12 students in the corridor into schools in Condor and Leslieville.

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Other highlights from the report include ‘high’ results in the areas of safe and caring, education quality, drop-out rate, high school completion which was noted as higher than the provincial average and citizenship and parent involvement.

Areas of concern include significant declines in high school to post-secondary transition rates, decreased funding for inclusive education and high demand and caseloads for the District’s Family Wellness Workers last year.

The Board of Trustees for Wild Rose Public Schools will consider the combined Annual Education Results Report for 2017-2018 and the Three-Year Education Plan for 2018-2021 on November 27.

by Sheldon Spackman

Declining enrollment resulting in budget deficit for Wild Rose School Division

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