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District looks to shake up enrolment

The demographics of Chilliwack are shifting, and the school district has been adjusting to fit the city’s changing needs.
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The Chilliwack school district is looking at the possibility of adopting a K-5

The demographics of Chilliwack are shifting, and the school district has been adjusting to fit the city’s changing needs.

They’ve nipped and tucked here and there, largely with the help of portable classrooms. But now, they’re looking at whether reconfiguring the schools overall would improve the delivery of programs and support for students.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, they began to look at the possibility of adopting a K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade school structure, as part of the District Plan Review and Consultation.

One of the concerns is that students are currently transferring into the high school system in a critical year — Grade 10. It’s a shift that was discussed about years ago, said trustee Barry Neufeld.

“There was a public outcry,” he said, when they talked previously about moving middle school grades from the current 7-9 model, to 6-8.

Still, he added that he’s “very much in favour” of the shift, and has extensively studied middle school configurations.

The review and consultation is not just looking at grade structuring. As reported in The Progress last October, the district is in desperate need of a new school on the south side.

“We need a long term vision for the south side,” superintendent Evelyn Novak told the board on Tuesday.

That’s where the school district is seeing most of its growth, and projections show that the trend is only going to continue. While the south side of the highway is being eyed up for a new school, the north side is being looked at for its own capacity review. A subcommittee was created in 2015 to start that review, which was made of principals, vice principals, staff and the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association. As meetings progressed, it became evident that the entire school district should be included in a review.

In addition to the imbalance of capacity from the north side to the south, and the increasing overall enrolment, they are looking at increased pressures on Early French Immersion programs and facilities, “less than ideal facilities and programs not meeting the emergent needs for at-risk students,” transitioning of at-risk students at the middle and secondary levels, revisioning of Type 3 (alternate) programs, the new curriculum framework, student achievement, a “coherent vision” for middle schools, and how students transition in the “crucial” Grade 10 year.

The board mostly embraced the review.

“It’s going to be a lot of work,” trustee Paul McManus said. “But that’s why we’re here.”

Trustee Heather Maahs was the sole vote against the district review plan, saying she was concerned about pushing ahead with a study without seeing a price tag for the work involved.

The comprehensive District Plan Report with recommendations would be provided to the board

by June 2017, according to the superintendent’s report.

Human resources, transportation, and operating budget considerations will all be taken into account, as well.



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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