The most recent meeting of the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District Board of Education brought with it updates regarding enrolment, school registration and district staffing changes.
Enrolment changes
As September has come and gone the enrolment numbers in district schools have shifted slightly below projections released at the beginning of the year - but are still well above last year’s total.
Superintendent of Schools Peter Jory reported at the Sept. 25 board meeting that the Sept. 18 full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolment numbers are 19 less than projected in the budget. While this number may seem small, FTE enrolment determines district funding which makes it an important figure.
Jory explained that part of the reason behind this change is schools have a good grasp on how many new students will be coming in each year, but less about how many students will be leaving for another school district.
He also added that high school students had not yet fully completed their course load registration, which factors into the FTE enrolment numbers.
School districts are funded on FTE as opposed to head count. For example, if a student is taking two courses, the district is funded for a part-time student. If a students takes more than a full course load, then districts are funded for the additional courses.
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Enrolment numbers are on a continuing upward trend in the district as a whole, with about 180 new students enrolling in the district this year.
“Every student who comes into the district above projected numbers is extra good news,” said official trustee Mike McKay at a previous meeting. “One hundred and eighty more kids means more funds coming in that we can use to service them directly.”
Registration process
For the second year in a row, the school district is following a new registration process for some students that aims to be more equitable to all parents and allow more planning time for the district.
This registration process for the 2019-2020 school year will affect students in kindergarten, French immersion and students at the South Canoe Outdoor Learning School.
Registration for these programs is Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m at your neighbourhood school. All registrations received on this date are considered equal, and after Oct. 9 registrations will be dated and approved on a first-come, first-served basis. In the case where there are not enough spots for students seeking registration, enrolment will be determined by lottery.
All parents who wish to submit a cross-boundary request for their children for the upcoming school year need to start the process at their home catchment school, get the cross-boundary form and take it to the requested school. Cross boundary forms are available at all schools and this only applies to new requests.
New secretary-treasurer
Peter Jory commented at the latest board of education meeting he is happy to announce that Alanna Cameron is the successful candidate for the position of SD83 Secretary-Treasurer.
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Cameron has more than 10 years of financial and administrative experience within the education sector, and eight in a senior management position.
She has been the secretary-treasurer for School District No. 82 (Coast Mountains) since 2010, as well as part-time Secretary-Treasurer for School District No. 92 (Nisga’a) from 2015-2017.
Cameron will be joining the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District in January, with interim Secretary-Treasurer Bruce Hunt filling in until then.
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