Edmonton public schools are adding “one modular classroom each day” to their enrollment

Edmonton public schools are adding the equivalent of one modular classroom in enrollment every day.

This is evident from a new report, the Student housing plan 2024–2025, discussed during Tuesday’s Edmonton Public School Board meeting.

“Enrollment across our divisions is currently increasing by the equivalent of one modular classroom per day,” said Christopher Wright, EPSB director of infrastructure.

Last year, more than 115,000 students were enrolled.

That number has increased this school year to more than 120,000 students.

The division is expected to reach 100 percent high school space occupancy by the 2025-2026 school year, despite the recent openings of the Dr. Anne Anderson School in 2021 and Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack School earlier this year.

Relying on the use of modular classrooms

According to the report, many newer schools have a higher number of modular classrooms compared to permanent classrooms, which poses challenges when it comes to access to water, toilets and lockers.

“We are looking at all avenues to keep as many children close to home as possible,” said Jennifer Thompson, infrastructure planning manager for the board.

“So we’re putting modulars in some unconventional places, but we’re trying to accommodate them where we can,” Thompson said, noting that many modulars are being allocated to the south of the Henday, where there is a concentration of newer schools.

According to the report, the division has installed or moved 440 modular classrooms since about 2010 instead of receiving funding to build new schools.

Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides in July announced an additional $215 million in funding for school divisions in the province for the 2024-2025 school year. The province said the money was in response to rapidly rising enrollment numbers.

After inflation, Edmonton Public Schools now expects an additional $22.4 million for this school year.

“We welcome the use of modulars to address space needs wherever possible, but ultimately what we need to see is 50 new schools built for Edmonton Public Schools over the next decade,” board chair Julie Kusiek told CBC in a statement interview. .

Desperate times call for unconventional methods

From introducing school in the evenings to expanding options for younger grades, school administrators brainstormed possible options to explore in the future to alleviate the school crisis.

“We have to start thinking bigger,” said Superintendent Darrel Robertson.

“What would a second shift at the high school look like for kids who want to learn at night? Would that give us some relief in terms of the growth pressures we have?”

In early September, the EPSB Advocacy Committee said the district is growing by about 5,000 students a year, enough to fill two new high schools.

Edmonton Public Schools is the second largest division in Alberta.

The School Construction Accelerator Program, announced in early September by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, will cost $8.6 billion over three years. It adds $6.5 billion to the previously announced amount of $2.1 billion.

Smith said the plan aims to create an additional 150,000 student places in the province in the four years following the initial three-year push, for a total of 200,000 over seven years.

“Although we have a shortage of space and we needed these schools yesterday, we continue to do everything we can to work with the province to build schools as quickly as possible,” Kusiek said.