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Enrolment down slightly in North Okanagan-Shuswap School District

SD83 sees increase in students on autism spectrum
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As of Sept. 30, there were 6,812 students enrolled at schools in the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District. (Pixabay photo)

Enrolment in North Okanagan-Shuswap schools is down slightly this year compared to last.

During its Oct. 18 meeting, the School District 83 board of trustees received a report on fall enrolment numbers from directors of instruction Reid Findlay and Carol-Ann Leidloff.

As of Sept. 30, total enrolment in the school district was 6,812 students, down from 6,851 the same time last year.

Enrolment figures for Salmon Arm schools were as follows: Salmon Arm Secondary (SAS), Sullivan, 619; SAS Jackson, 640; Shuswap Middle School, 663; Bastion Elementary, 352; Hillcrest Elementary, 310; South Canoe Outdoor School, 123; North Canoe Elementary, 71; Salmon Arm West, 96.

Enrolment figures are collected and submitted to the Ministry of Education for student funding. According to the school district, this annual head count includes specific categories of students, such as those within special needs categories which generate additional support funding from the ministry.

The count also tracks student movement, how many home schoolers are registered with the district, and enrolment trends.

Findlay pointed out one new change in funding ability is called Newcomer Refugee, which includes school age students displaced from Ukraine.

“We have a number of Ukrainian refugees that we are processing and supporting across the province and within our district as well,” said Findlay.

Leidloff said one significant shift this year is the number of English Language Learners (ELL) student in the district.

“Historically we have had about 35 to 44. Last year we had 39. This year we have 71,” said Leidloff, noting the district will have to increase its ELL teachers from the current 1.6 to three full-time teachers. She added the ELL students haven’t come from one area of the world but from several.

“There is no one country that students are coming from, it is quite diverse.”

Read more: School District 83: More than $22 million sought for new Salmon Arm elementary

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Chelsea Prince, director of instruction for Indigenous education, chimed in on another trend: an increase in the number of students (1,281 students of SD83 students, or 19 per cent) who have self-identified as Indigenous. Last year there were 1,236 students.

“This generates special purpose funds to provide enhanced services.”

Prince said there is funding collected from the federal government for students who live on-reserve. Currently there are about 110 students attending SD83 schools who live on-reserve.

Leidloff added there was also a spike in numbers of children with autism, which went up by 29 students (272) over last year. She noted part of this is because of earlier diagnosis, with testing being done with children before they start school. “Children are coming into the school with really complex needs, requiring significant amounts of support. We are working hard with our teams to meet these needs.”



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