By Courtney Almeida

Continued enrollment increases at Peace Wapiti School Division

Jan 23, 2019 | 4:30 AM

The Peace Wapiti Public School Division reports that average class sizes have increased over the past year, as projected enrollment numbers have doubled. The continued growth of the student body creates ripple effect issues such as lack of qualified staff and eventual school space maximization.

Deputy Superintendent, Darren Young, says “We did see an enrollment increase and added teachers to the system.” Funding for Inclusive Education was also increased for the present school year, to provide additional educational support to teachers in the classroom.

The biggest enrollment increase was seen in Kindergarten to Grade 3. As the population of Grande Prairie and its surrounding communities continues to grow, the school system is trying to keep up. The issue doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, as the board’s initial predictions doubled this year.  

 “We predicted an enrollment growth of approximately 60 students, and we came in at about 120 actual enrolment growth. Our enrollment growth has been on the upswing over the last number of years and you know, the local economy seems strong so I think that continued growth in especially the schools in and around Grande Prairie will continue to grow and be the primary driver of our enrollment,” Young explains.

Lack of adequate teaching staff is beginning to present an issue for the Division.

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“We’re in the midst of a teacher shortage, right now,” says Young. “We do have trouble filling teacher leaves through substitutes so there’s a substitute shortage and we’ve seen a noticeable decrease in the number of applicants for advertised teaching positions.”

Enrollment increases raise the added concerns of eventual space maximization too. The Board already has plans for a new school on the horizon, explains Young.

“That’s always a concern. We’re working with our local community partners like County of Grande Prairie, County of Saddle Hills, all of our Municipal partnerships and inquiring land for a new school that we’ve identified in our capital plan.”

Staffing guidelines are provided to schools based on total enrollment numbers, but Principals have the liberty of designating staff where resources are most needed. The average teacher to student ratio is recommended as one staff per every 17 students.