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Northwest Catholic District School Board reports slight decrease in enrolment

Student enrolment is expected to continue to decline in some catholic schools this fall.

The Northwest Catholic District School Board says early predictions suggest an overall decline of about 1.2%. just over one per cent.

Superintendent of Business Alex McAuley says that follows provincial projections.

“And the rationale for it in our area is more or less an aging population that doesn’t have the same number of young children to adult ratio,” says McAuley.

There are some bright spots.

The Board is seeing some continued enrolment growth at St. Patrick’s School in Atikokan.

At Lady of the Way School in Stratton, the Board’s smaller schools, more than 30 students are attending classes.

On the downside, Sacred Heart in Sioux Lookout and St. Joseph’s School in Dryden are showing significant declines.

McAuley is at a loss as to why.

“I’m actually not 100% sure, and I cannot specifically say why that is,” admits McAuley.

“It was a notable thing, and we’re digging into it to hopefully have better information coming after the kindergarten registration.”

The Board reports on enrollment multiple times throughout the year.

The numbers impact budgeting and funding provided by the provincial government.

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Catholic trustees seek funding boost for school board sick leave costs

School boards in Ontario are appealing to the province for help with staff absenteeism.

New contracts give staff more paid sick days.

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association notes that all employee groups are eligible for sick leave of 11 days payable at 100% and 120 days payable at 90%.

Speaking to a legislative committee at a recent pre-budget consultation, President Michael Bellmore says that this has resulted in added costs for school boards.

“Cost increases with these provisions, combined with the indirect costs associated with the replacement of support staff and occasional teachers, as well as the increased administrative burdens in managing higher utilization, are leaving many of our Catholic school boards struggling to meet their obligations,” says Bellmore.

He adds that student learning is also impacted when staffing positions can not be filled.

The Trustees Association is also seeking more flexibility with the funding received from the province.

Executive Director Patrick Daley says current restrictions should be eased.

“The intersection between inadequate funding and a lack of flexibility is placing school boards under significant financial pressures and really limiting their ability to maintain current programs and to add additional programs that are much needed by students,” says Daley.

The Association says there is also a need to address the funding requirements for special education.

It recommends a working group to study the issue.

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School boards look for end to moratorium on school closures

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School boards continue to lobby the provincial government to lift a moratorium on the process used to determine school closures.

It has been in place since 2017.

President of the Ontario Public School Boards Association Kathleen Woodcock says it is hindering school boards from right-sizing their facilities.

“If a school is not full but there’s a school near it that is overflowing, we can’t go through the pupil accommodation review process to maybe amalgamate those schools or build a new school that would accommodate all of those students,” says Woodcock.

Woodcock is open to sitting down with the Education Minister to help shape a new process.

She says typically, OPSBA is consulted separately for input and recommendations for education.

That did not happen this year.

Education is the second-largest funding in provincial budgets.

Overall funding has increased, but Woodcock says funding on a per-pupil basis has not kept pace with inflation.

“School boards rely almost solely on the provincial government for funding, and when that funding does not keep pace with inflation, the impact is felt directly in the classroom,” says Woodcock.

She says there continues to be a lack of funding and resources for special education, busing and capital improvements.

Woodcock also emphasizes the importance of supporting local school board trustees.

Education Minister Paul Calandra has been looking at how school boards are governed, with the thought of eliminating trustees.

Woodcock says local voices matter.

“People see trustees in the grocery store, at the mall, everywhere we go, at community events, everywhere, and we know our communities,” says Woodcock.

“A bureaucrat in Toronto does not know the local issues that parents are trying to deal with. And when a parent calls a principal or a teacher and doesn’t have anyone to turn to from their community, they are lost.”

She says getting rid of trustees will not save the government the money needed to fix some of the problems that exist in schools.

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Area school boards propose early start to 2026-27 school year

School boards in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances areas are looking to start the next school year before Labour Day.

A draft calendar for the 2026-27 year proposes classes begin on September 1st and end on June 25th, 2027.

It is the only option being put out for public comment.

The boards state that starting school after Labour Day would extend the year to the last day of June or into early July.

They state that in previous years where the school ended that late, it was not well received by students, staff, parents or other community members.

This year’s school year started after Labour Day, with classes coming to an end on June 26th.

The proposed calendar would also see the winter break going from December 21st, 2026, to January 1st, 2027, with students returning to class on January 4th.

March break would take place from March 15th to March 19th

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, the Kenora Catholic District School Board, the Northwest Catholic District School, the Rainy River District School Board and the French-language Conseil scolaire de district catholique Aurores boreales have long followed a common calendar to help with staff training and school sports scheduling.

The boards are inviting the public to comment on the proposal.

Links to the survey can be found on each of the board’s websites, or click here.

The deadline to comment is January 15th.

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COVID-19 Changes In Ontario Schools

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The way that cases are being reported in school is changing ahead of students returning Jan.17.

With the played down notification on Monday of children going back to school, the province won’t be reporting cases in schools anymore.

A document released by the province indicates that PCR tests will be rationed out. They will only be provided to symptomatic elementary and secondary students, staff who become symptomatic at school.

Students/staff in the same class as a symptomatic cohort or a positive covid case will not be offered self collection kits either. Nor will entire classes be dismissed, instead class or school closures will be based on operational needs.

Public health units will no longer be dismissing cohorts. Any dismissals or closures of a school or child care will be contingent on operational requirements determined by the school board, school and/or child care operator.

Given the widespread transmission and inability to test all symptomatic individuals, schools will not be routinely notifying students/pupils in classes with a positive case, or if a child/student or staff is absent due to symptoms associated with COVID-19.

Those who are 12 years and older and partially (or none) vaccinated must isolate for 10 days. The isolation starts on either the first day of symptoms or the date of a positive test, which ever came first.

If someone is 12 years and older and fully vaccinated, isolation is five days from first symptoms or positive test results; again which ever occurred first. These individuals can exit isolation 24 hours after symptoms have improved.

For students 11 years old and younger, they can exit isolation after five days once symptoms show improvement.

These updates also include child care settings within schools and are also applicable to the children in attendance as well as the workers.

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Horwath Critiques Back-To-School Plan

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Ontario’s NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says Premier Doug Ford is gambling with kids’ school year.

Horwath says the PC’s back-to-school plan is filled with “penny pinching” and doesn’t present a solution to keep students and staff safe in the classroom.

She claims it doesn’t invest in lower class sizes, arguing students will be placed in crowded classrooms.

Her statement released this week says there’s also no additional funding for mental health help or educational support staff to help kids recover.

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No COVID Spread At Red Lake School

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Some encouraging news for staff and students at the Golden Learning Centre in Red Lake.

A positive COVID-19 case was reported at the school on September 18.

Dr. Kit Young Hoon is the Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit.

She says “Case and contact follow-up is complete and we have not seen any further cases as a result of that situation.”

Dr. Kit Young Hoon says it shows a school setting can be a safe place as long as everyone is trying to follow good public health measures.

The Health Unit reported two new COVID-19 cases in the past week, one in the Dryden-Red Lake District and the other in the Rainy River area.

Dr. Kit Young Hoon says they are still following up with known contacts.

She notes the Dryden-Red Lake case was acquired from out of province.

There have been 51 confirmed cases since the pandemic started.

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New COVID Case In Northwestern Ontario School

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Most classes at the Golden Learning Centre in Red Lake are back in session after being closed this week out of an abundance of caution due to COVID-19.

The Northwestern Health Unit shut down the classes after a number of students experienced symptoms such as a runny nose and cough.

The move followed a positive case of the coronavirus Friday and that impacted class remains closed.

There have been no additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the school community.

Parents are urged to use the online school screening tool before sending their kids to school each day.

You can access that by visiting https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/

Meantime a second school in northwestern Ontario is now identifying a case of COVID-19.

The Lakehead Public School Board confirms it’s a student at Gron Morgan Public School in Thunder Bay.

It appears to be an isolated case but the affected class has been closed for a 14-day quarantine period.

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Some Moms Don’t Want To Send Kids Back To School – Survey

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Despite what education officials say, a survey shows nine percent of Canadian moms aren’t going to send their kids back to school next month.

Field Agent Canada spokesperson Jeff Doucette says some parents are taking a wait and see approach amid the pandemic.

“So we’re seeing a huge uptick in the potential of at-home schooling that is being caused by the apprehension of parents to send their kids back to school until we see that it is safe and it works.”

Doucette says parents have indicated they’ll spend less this year especially on clothes and shoes when some classes such as Physical Education may not happen or will be different.

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School Reopening Plans Expected Today

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We could know today how schools across the province will open in September.

Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce are expected to announced the specifics.

It comes following a report from Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital which recommends schools going back full-time as they did prior to the pandemic but with several modifications.

This includes greater separation of desks in the classroom, staggered lunch periods and mandatory mask wearing by high school students.

The province had given school boards until next week to outline reopening plans.

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