The enrollment decline at Delta's public schools is not as bad as projected.
The Delta school board received a preliminary report on student numbers Tuesday that showed, as of this week, the district has 15,159 pupils, a drop of 185 from last September.
Noting the district will have a clearer picture of this year's enrollment next week, assistant superintendent Garnet Ayres said at this point the district has 37 more students than it projected.
For South Delta, there are 29 more kids than last year at Ladner elementary schools and one more in Tsawwassen. However, Delta Secondary is down 38 students, while South Delta Secondary is down 75.
"The problem is simple: For years we've had 1,000 new kindergarten students coming in and 1,500 students graduate, so not as many have been coming into the system as graduating," Ayres explained. Helping offset that decline are international students, whose numbers have been steadily increasing. This September there are 462 students from various countries, with China topping the list.
Total revenue from the program for 2012/13 was $6 million, up from $4.7 million the previous year.
A potential strike by school by support staff was recently averted when a deal was reached between CUPE and the B.C. Public Schools Employers' Association, an agreement retroactive to June 2012. The province has already said that money for wage increases will have to come out of school board budgets.
District communications manager Deneka Michaud told the Optimist the board is completing its savings plan to submit to the Ministry of Education. The document must receive approval before a local agreement is finalized.
"While we do not have a local agreement yet, any cost increases for the current school year will have to come out of funds already allocated to other educational services, including initiatives geared at achieving our Vision such as classroom technology," said Michaud. "Therefore, targeted funds will have to be re-allocated."
