Capacity crunch

Numbers given to Public Schools Branch show many schools under capacity, others over

Most Island schools aren’t close to capacity and the numbers are expected to get even lower in the coming years, according to figures from the Public Schools Branch.

But the numbers also show some schools in the Charlottetown area are above capacity and without changes the situation is going to get worse.

Former interim superintendent Bob Andrews, who presented the numbers to the media Tuesday, said some schools have accommodated students, but they did so by taking space away from other uses.

“There are a couple that could continue to operate if they had to, but it’s not an optimal learning environment for those schools,” he said.

The numbers Andrews presented show some schools around the province are well below capacity, such as Morell Regional High School, which is at 32 per cent and Georgetown Elementary School at 28 per cent.

Those numbers are expected to be even lower in five years.

Rural schools aren’t the only ones well below capacity with Charlottetown schools St. Jean Elementary at 34 per cent capacity and Birchwood Intermediate at 41 per cent.

Those come at a time when other Charlottetown area schools, such as Spring Park Elementary, are well above capacity.

Spring Park has 80 more students this year than it was built to hold.

In the Charlottetown Rural family of schools, five out of the seven facilities are above capacity and Sherwood Elementary is at 90 per cent.

Donagh Regional School, which is in the same family, is at 49 per cent capacity.

$0-*/ ."$-&"/ 5$ .&%*" Public Schools Branch board member Pat Mella speaks during Tuesday night’s meeting at Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. The board recommended in-depth reviews of six families of schools be undertaken.