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Regina faculty divisions divvying top-up funds, as enrolment rises

By Frank C. Bonner

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“It doesn’t feel good to cut any support for schools, so this is good, to have this coming back in,” said Regina Catholic Schools spokesperson Twylla West.

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Sep 15, 2022  •  September 15, 2022  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation School buses preparing to pick kids up at École Monseigneur de Laval on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 in Regina. School buses preparing to pick kids up at École Monseigneur de Laval on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 in Regina. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

Both Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools say they are are seeing an increase in enrolment over last year, according to preliminary data offered during the year’s inaugural board meetings in September.

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Administration from both divisions indicated the numbers show a return to pre-pandemic projections, after a slump last year attributed to uncertainty about COVID-19 risks.

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Numbers show a total of 11,945 students already enrolled in Regina Catholic schools, with more expected.

Spokesperson Twylla West said while it’s a small increase over last year, it is a welcome one.

“We’re really happy with where it is,” said West. “And we’re looking forward to getting everything settled and organized for the rest of the school year.”

Regina Public Schools said the same, reporting more than 25,000 students already registered, putting the division on track to blow past projected enrolment. Nearly 500 students have registered through Regina Public’s newcomer welcome centre, in a trend similar to what Regina Catholic is experiencing.

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“That’s a very positive thing, to be back to where we were at around 2019, and seeing those kind of numbers coming into our city,” said director of education Darren Boldt.

The return to school went “smoothly,” said Boldt, and felt much closer to the norm compared to last year as schools welcomed students back with in-person events like backpack nights and open houses.

“Schools act as hubs for communities, and we welcome the return of parents and guardians helping their children transition back to school,” said Boldt on Tuesday.

Although enrolment is still underway, board trustees have already been asked to review a revised budget for 2022-23, thanks to a top-up funding announcement from the Ministry of Education issued in July.

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Education Minister Dustin Duncan pledged an additional $20 million to be distributed across the province, in response to outcries about underfunding, inflation and accessing reserves.

  1. Regina Public Schools head office on 4th Avenue, Regina photographed Sept. 16, 2013.

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Regina Catholic received just over $842,000, to cover elevated inflation costs according to a revised budget presented last week. In its June report, the board indicated that $800,000 from division reserves were needed to balance the budget.

West said the extra dollars are a happy boon, allowing redirection of funds back to a number of items, including providing mental health specialists for students, deploying teacher assistants and reinstating a food program with the Regina Food Bank.

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“It’s really good news,” said West. “It doesn’t feel good to cut any support for schools, so this is good, to have this coming back in.”

Regina Public received $1.5 million in additional funding, one of the largest sums delivered in the top-up and second only to Saskatoon Public Schools, which Boldt said is “extremely valuable.”

The lion’s share, at $530,00, will be used for base funding shortfalls and increases in SaskPower and SaskEnergy costs. What remains will be divvied up between lunch supervision costs, employee benefit increases, fuel and insurance premiums.

“It’s a very welcomed choice right now, that the ministry made,” said Boldt. “But I would really like to see that it’s a continued allocation of funding, that it’s built into the funding model.”

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With student numbers still fluctuating, West said that schools are currently in a “shuffling” period. Part of the process includes adjusting classroom space, she said.

“There’s always some kind of juggling and massaging with class sizes, because we are cognizant of classes and want to maintain what our ratios should be,” said West.

Regina Catholic is in the process of deploying four new portable classrooms at three schools, and relocating two others.

Despite enrolment being slightly higher than expected, West said concerns about staff availability remain minimal. Regina Catholic indicated in the spring that staffing levels were as tight as possible, while still meeting student to teacher ratios.

The most pressure has so far been on support staff, said West, like English as a second language and language catalyst teachers.

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Regina Public said staffing increased in eight schools and decreased in nine, although some decreases were within kindergarten programs.

“We’re still quite lean, although it’s great news we’re adding more classrooms,” said West. “We’re very confident in what we’re doing.”

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