In light of declining enrolment, Rocky View Schools (RVS) would like to hear the public’s ideas about possible solutions for Kathyrn School.
According to Norma Lang, RVS trustee for Ward 4, the division is beginning a consultation process to hear from residents in Kathyrn, Beiseker and Irricana who could be impacted by any changes to the school’s attendance boundaries or grade structure.
“This is really an exploratory attendance boundary review where we can talk about possible changes to the attendance boundary that would take population from the rural areas that currently feed into Chestermere – mostly East Lake School – and redirect those populations to Kathyrn School, pick up a few extra kids and sprinkle them through the grades there,” she said.
This review differs from usual reviews for two reasons, she said. While reviews are usually initiated by the school division, in this case, Kathyrn School council advocated for RVS to conduct it.
“For a couple of years, it’s been on their radar, and RVS has responded and decided to go forward with an attendance boundary review because the community wants the conversation,” Lang said.
The second difference, she said, is that these types of reviews usually occur when a school faces overcrowding that needs to be alleviated. In the case of Kathyrn School, the opposite is true.
“This is a situation where enrolment is declining at Kathyrn School, with a bit of a ripple effect on Beiseker,” Lang said.
During her tenure as a trustee, she said, the school’s population – currently at 162 – has gone from about 220 students to about 150 at its lowest enrolment. According to a press release, the school shows a 52 per cent utilization rate, which is not expected to increase without changes from the division.
Among the concerns associated with the declining enrolment, Lang said, are the potential difficult of getting enough students for extracurricular activities – such as sports teams – and an abundance of classes with split grades
She said, following notice of the consultations, there have been some concerns expressed online that Kathyrn School may be closed. She said that option is not and will not be contemplated.
“RVS is too full to contemplate closing any schools,” she said.
From the school division’s perspective, Lang said, it may be prudent to increase the size of the school’s attendance area to include more rural pupils, or to reconfigure the grade structure by adding Grade 9 classes. However, she noted RVS believes the community has some ideas that “are not your typical answers to an attendance boundary review” that may have some serious merit.
“There might not be a solution, and we might walk away from this attendance boundary consultation agreeing with the community that the status quo is OK,” she said. “In every other attendance boundary review, the status quo is not OK and something has to change. In this situation, we may very well decide, after consulting the community, that the best strategy is just to leave things exactly the way they are.”A public meeting is planned for Jan. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Kathyrn School, where RVS will share information relating to the school’s enrolment and possible solutions before engaging in round-table discussions to gather public input.
The Board of Trustees has reserved time during its Feb. 6 meeting to hear from impacted citizens, and written comments can be submitted until Jan. 31. Deliberation on the topic will occur at the board’s March 19 meeting, at which time a decision will be made.
