A new provincial policy could see School District 83 lose the option of online learning through its Educational Outreach Program (EOP).
At the Dec. 19 board meeting, Supt. Donna Kriger explained that prior to when the policy came into effect on July 1, individual districts could enrol students from across the province in their online schools. Now, however, they are limited to only students who reside in the district, which will have financial implications for SD83.
In a report to the board, secretary treasurer Dale Culler said this has reduced enrolment “to the point that a discussion about closure is warranted,” which they can do for a number of reasons, including a school that “is no longer economically or operationally viable.”
Kriger added that in the past, SD83 had been able to use the EOP as a source of revenue through that additional enrollment. Now the only online schools able to do that are those registered with the Ministry of Education as a Provincial Online Learning School.
Culler explained that provincial funding for schools is based on the full-time enrolment numbers, with the online numbers now dwindling after having peaked around COVID. While program costs, such as staff salaries and necessary supplies, have also declined, the draft budget for 2024 still sits at $356,419.
Though referenced as a program, the EOP is actually a registered school, so the proposed closure of it has come to the board for consideration as per district policy. To proceed with that, the board will have to conduct a public consultation process that gives adequate opportunity for people to respond and provide input.
Before moving ahead with the process, trustee Brent Jennings had a question about the students that are currently registered, which includes 70 full-time students and 242 that have a combination of online and in-person classes in SD83 and other districts.
“Where would these kids go, what takes place within our area to fill the gap for those kids,” he asked. “I just want to clarify where they’re going to end up, and how their success going forward in education would be affected.”
Kriger explained that in the result of a closure, they could choose to enrol in one of the provincially recognized online schools, but couldn’t say how those models compare to the district-run program.
While trustee Corryn Grayston also had some reservations about closing the EOP, she pointed out that moving forward with public consultation doesn’t necessarily mean the board is endorsing and “green lighting” it.
“I think feedback is going to be a very essential piece,” she said. “We need to talk to those individuals, and those parents and caregivers that have kids in the programs.”
The motion to initiate the public consultation process regarding the closure of the Educational Outreach Program carried unanimously.
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