Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district sees lower than expected enrolment
Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district's student population is going up, but actual growth is less than what the district expected.
Compared to September 2021, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools has an additional 268 students though that's less than what the district planned for when it delivered its preliminary budget in February. Elementary enrolment is 64 fewer than projected while in Grades 8-12, 56 more students are enrolled than anticipated.
Once calculating full-time equivalent course loads, the district is recording a loss of 96 FTE over projections, which reflects a change in $664,808 in base provincial funding. Enrolment within the unique student supplement categories, however, which includes different levels of special needs as well as English language learning and Indigenous education, is higher than projected.
“Overall I'd say we're in a relatively good position,” Secretary-Treasurer Mark Walsh told the business committee in October. “Certainly we won't have to look at reallocations to cover the slight decline in elementary.”
The district will be re-engaging its geospatial consultant to review what could be driving the enrolment changes, how it might impact NLPS's long-range facilities plan and whether or not the factors contributing to the shifts are systemic, including whether families are choosing non-public school options.
“Some of the questions we're asking ourselves is, are there kids missing and what's our role in getting those kids connected to the district,” Walsh said. “Is it a housing market issue? We're still seeing kids growth in secondary, so does that mean that mature families can still afford to come to Nanaimo but young families can't? We don't know what that looks like yet.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.