The Lac La Biche region has been seeing a steady decrease in school numbers from elementary grades right up to the high school level since 2008, a statistic that could seriously impact the proposed building of a new elementary school in the hamlet.
“These numbers definitely impact the proposed new elementary school. We have capacity for growth within our existing schools and with the student population being stable we cannot yet argue that we need additional space immediately,” said Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) Superintendent Roger Nippard.
The most recent numbers released by NLSD communications representative Cheryl Hunter show a loss of 20 students at Vera M Welsh Elementary School, and a loss of 40 students at J.A. Williams High School. Dr. Swift and Central Elementary stayed relatively the same. The entire student population throughout the Lac La Biche region including schools in Wandering River, Plamondon, Caslan and Kikino, in 2011 was 2105, and in 2012 that number dipped to 2083.
“Consequently the Lac La Biche region’s enrolment is flat, but we do project a rapid growth for our entire area over the next few years which could help our chances of getting a new elementary school,” Nippard said.
Nippard explained that Lac La Biche has 500 students through Grade’s K to 4 at Vera M Welsh and Central Elementary Schools and with the request of a new 600 student K-4 school to be attached to the Bold Center, schools are considered full when their utilization rate reaches 85 per cent.
The statistics show that 85 per cent of 600 would give Lac La Biche a school that would accommodate 510 students, meaning that the new elementary school, if built soon, would essentially be full when it opened.
“Schools are built using a straight line projection for enrolment or by simply bringing the current enrolment forward. We can certainly argue that additional student spaces will be needed relatively soon,” Nippard said.
MONEY MATTERS
According to Education Alberta, schools receive a per student grant of $3,998 for each ECS or kindergarten due in part to the half-time enrolment. Each Grade 1 to 3 student is funded at a rate of $7,995 and Grade 4 to 9 students are funded $6,562.
“The funding is essential for promoting smaller class sizes,” Nippard said.
As for Special Education, Nippard noted that there is no longer a simple per student funding given out by the government. Rather, each school funded based on a jurisdiction profile.
“Just under six per cent of our students are coded as having severe special needs. Our allocation to schools is around $14,500.00 on average per student,” he said.
