Overcrowding concerns

Public Schools Branch undertakes study looking at five schools in the capital city

The P.E.I. Public Schools Branch board launched a new study Monday night that will look at the overcrowding at five schools in Charlottetown. Parker Grimmer, director of the branch, presented the issue to the board at its meeting.

“As our population continues to grow, this is what the branch does, we review school capacity to ensure that we can meet future needs and our board, my bosses, have been very clear, that we need to be as proactive as possible as we move through this,’’ Grimmer said.

Last year, solutions were found for Glen Stewart Elementary School and L.M. Montgomery with additions that will take place this summer.

Now, attention turns to five other schools in Charlottetown – Charlottetown Rural High School, Colonel Gray High School, Queen Charlotte Intermediate School, Spring Park Elementary School and West Kent Elementary School. Grimmer said their numbers indicate that Spring Park and West Kent will be tipping over functional capacity in the next three to five years. Functional capacity refers to the optimum number of learners in a building. “We’re undertaking a category 1 study, different from last year’s work which was a category 2 study. Most notably, what makes it different is that there will be no discussion, and you can repeat that, no discussion, about school closures in the consultation. This is only about looking at capacities and student populations.’’ Colonel Gray, Charlottetown Rural and Queen Charlotte also look to be tipping over capacity in the next three to five years. “We’re also saying we need to keep an eye on Birchwood because for one year it tips over and then it tips back. In year six or seven, it tips over and then it tips back.’’

Grimmer said either way, the board needs to find some solutions. All of this information comes from studies that were done as part of last year’s consultation process that led to rezonings for students in kindergarten to Grade 9. Grimmer said there is a moratorium on changes as they affect the two high schools for the next two years. Still, the need to begin working on potential changes has to begin now.

“We’re working hard over the next couple of days to develop the scope of what we’re going to do. We want this to be a consultative process.’’

He said there will be plenty of opportunity for the public to provide input, including an online component. The study is expected to be released in the fall. Grimmer noted that no decisions have been made as to whether new schools or adding on to existing infrastructure will be part of the solution when it comes to the five schools in question.