Primary bump doesn’t help Valley school stats

BY NANCY KELLY

The Kings County Register

The numbers are in.

With just a few surprises, the trend towards declining enrolment continues for the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board.

Data compiled September 30 reveals the board is down a total of 226 students from this time last year, when there were 15,420 students registered at 43 schools.

Of the 19 schools in Kings County, 10 registered declines over last year’s enrolment; eight reported more students. Only one school, St. Mary’s Elementary in Aylesford, reported no change, at 211.

Valley schools superintendent Norm Dray says the board was prepared and had budgeted for lower enrolment, but had hoped an age limit change for Primary students would offset any considerable drop in numbers. Overall, 180 Primary students born between the October to December timeframe entered the board’s 13 elementary schools, four per cent less than the board had anticipated.

“Statistically, we thought we could see an additional 20 per cent of students entering Primary with the change but, in reality, it worked out to just 16 (per cent),” says Dray.

Schools that reported the highest enrolment in Primary children born between October and December included Kentville’s KCA, with 16; New Minas Elementary and Wolfville School, both with 13; Kingston District School with 12 and St. Mary’s with 10. Other schools reported anywhere between three and eight new students as a result of the extension of the Primary age limit from September 30 to December 31.

Dray says the Valley numbers are line with the lower than anticipated province-wide totals: a total of 2,100 new students were expected, but only 1,900 registered in all school boards.

Projections for school enrolment were, by and large, on target, with the exception of four schools in Kings County. KCA ended up with 20 more students than last year, 14 of which were above the projected number of 563. Kingston and District School was also above enrolment targets by 30 students for a total of 475 students, also up by 16 over this time last year.

At the other end of the spectrum, Dwight Ross Elementary in Greenwood has 16 fewer students than the projected 219 and Kingston’s Pine Ridge Middle has 24 fewer students than the projected target of 484. Between the two schools, there are now 44 fewer students than at this time last year. The enrolment drop has resulted in each school losing a teaching position, reassigned to KCA and KES.

Dray says the school board budget simply couldn’t cover the costs for two extra teachers needed at KCA and KES.

“It is not what we like to be doing at this time of year but, given our tight budget, we had no choice but to make the necessary adjustments in this way.”

At the high school level, there was a 50/ 50 split with Horton and NKEC gaining five and 22 more students respectively and West Kings and Central Kings showing respective losses of 23 and 52 students over last year’s enrolment.