Early September enrolment numbers are in for Living Sky School Division, and they’re higher than projections.
Living Sky projected 5,416 students to be in the division’s schools. Enrolment on Sept. 6 was 5,543, or 127 higher than projected. Enrolment as of Sept. 12 was 70 higher than projected.
Living Sky leadership had previously told the News-Optimist early school year enrolment fluctuations are usual.
The school division is funded on a per student basis, and more students than projected results in increased funding.
“It’s always nice to come in higher than projected,” Director of Education Brenda Vickers said.
According to the 2018-19 provincial budget document, Saskatchewan’s school divisions were to receive $1.87 billion in operating funding for 2018-19, a $30 million increase over last year.
In 2017-18, the province funded school divisions with $54 million less than in 2016-17.
There are 28 school divisions in the province.
Also in 2017-18, Living Sky received $3.2 million less from the government than in 2016-17.
This school year, before higher-than-projected enrolments, Living Sky was to receive a total of $59,700,516.
The change in amount of funding for 2018-19 is uncertain at this point, according to an email from Office Manager/Communication Co-ordinator Shannon Lessard.
“The ministry [of education] uses Sept. 30th enrolment numbers and a variety of other factors for any funding increases and we will not know what that will mean for our division until December.”
In May, Vickers said the school division took a conservative approach to projecting enrolments for 2018-19.
Mid-way last school year, the division was “clawed back $430,000 because of enrolment declining,” according to board chair Ronna Pethick. Pethick attributed the decline to over projection.
