SD57 restricts enrolment at PG schools to ‘catchment area only’

Prince George students are going to have to stick to their own neighbourhoods.

At their monthly meeting this evening, School District 57 Board of Trustees carried a recommendation that the enrolment for 10 Prince George schools become, or continue to be, restricted to their catchment areas only for the 2019/2020 year.

The recommendation was put forward after the Education Services Committee reviewed a report on the catchment and capacity for schools in the city, which concluded that there is a capacity problem in the city.

According to them, this will help ensure that schools can accommodate their anticipated enrolment and organize their instructional programs.

Trustees Shuirose Valimohamed, Trent Derrick and Vice Chair Sharel Warrington all opposed the motion but were overruled by the four votes from the remaining board members who were in favour.

Warrington said her main concern was based around Harwin and Ron Brent Elementary schools, who are not yet over capacity or in danger of being so.

“I didn’t want to see those schools not able to take students that aren’t in their catchment area because many students that come from different neighbourhoods flow back and forth in that district.”

The problem, according to Warrington, is at Duchess Park Secondary, which is over capacity.

Because both Harwin and Ron Brent are feeder schools for the secondary school, students out of catchment enrolled in either can move onto Duchess, therefore possibly creating future capacity issues.

“It was a principal thing for me, but I don’t think there will be any negative effects of the vote being carried,” said Warrington.  

Enrolment at the following schools will be restricted to catchment areas only:

Southridge Elementary

Heritage Elementary

Edgewood Elementary

Harwin Elementary

Ron Brent Elementary

Duchess Park Secondary, Regular Program only

Glenview Elementary

Hart Highlands Elementary

Springwood Elementary

College Heights Elementary; French Immersion program, Spruceland Traditional Elementary, and Polaris Montessori Elementary are restricted to no more than 40 students and Ecole Lac des Bois can have no more than 60 students.