Canadian Public and Private Schools See Significant Increase in Enrollment

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(Newswire.net — October 14, 2019) — In the past year, both private and public educational institutions ranging from kindergarten to grade 12, have increased their enrollment as more families are moving into the area. As thousands of more students are becoming enrolled, school districts are beginning to experience a variety of different issues.

With student enrollment on the rise, public officials are seeking to take action. For example, in the city of Edmonton, the education system experienced an increase of over 3,000 students in the last year. This poses a variety of issues.

In this article, we’ve listed some of the significant issues that communities are faced with as a result of this growth of the local city populations. As you will see, several areas of the public sector will be affected by this change. This includes not only the education system but the entire local city government.

Classroom Space

The overwhelming number of students that have enrolled in both public and private schools in the past year has left school officials scrambling for more funds. On average, the amount of students per class has increased, leaving classrooms packed to the brim. As a result, schools are doing everything they can to find more space for students. 

Some schools have resorted to using portable trailers through clean room rental companies. These trailers, rented by both the public school system as well as private schools, will serve as temporary classrooms for students of all ages until the problem resolves. In addition to this, even libraries are acting as extra class space.

According to the Assistant Superintendent of the Edmonton School Board, Dr Lorne Parker, the district is hoping to gather enough funds for the construction of a new high school in the southeast as enrollment is “growing by approximately 3,000 students a year”.

Teachers and Staff

Since thousands of new students are coming in each year, more educators will be needed to meet the growing demand. This is great for unemployed teachers searching for jobs as well as those still in college. As more young families continue to move to the area, tax revenue will increase, allowing for more funding.

Through taxes, the local governments can continue to develop their public works projects and provide for the community through the education system. Employment opportunities will increase in other areas of society as well.

For example, in cities like Edmonton and Toronto, the growing demand for more educators has skyrocketed. In all, hundreds to even thousands of teachers will be needed all across the nation. This is also the case in the United States as more communities begin to grow in population.

In addition to teachers, staff such as office administration, school counselors, security, and maintenance workers will also be needed. For those living in the area, there will be more employment opportunities as the community continues to grow. 

Public Works

As a result of this increase in the local population, a variety of changes relating to public works will need to be put into effect. For example, as neighborhoods grow and more residences are being built, local services such as the construction of recreational parks and paving of roads, as well as garbage and recyclable removal will be required. 

In addition to this, more buses will be needed to meet the demand for the number of students traveling to and from school. These public services, as well as many others, open up more employment opportunities for many people. Although the growing tax revenue will be able to cover the expenses, cities will be tasked with finding more public employees.

Overall

To sum it all up, communities across the country will be experiencing some major changes. As the population continues to grow in cities like Toronto and Edmonton, action will need to be taken. This can be attributed to young families moving in from small towns and rural areas in search of employment. It is also the result of many people immigrating from other countries.

Nevertheless, local governments will need to address the growing need for more school space as well as the need for employees to get the jobs done. This will also lead to more employment opportunities in other areas of the public sector.  Although a major issue, this will most likely lead to significant economic growth in the long-run.