HWDSB announces ‘significant’ student enrolment shortfall, plans to surplus teachers
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has announced plans to reorganize elementary classrooms and surplus teachers after discovering a significant" shortfall in student enrolment this school year.
In a letter to families issued Thursday morning, the board said its fall semester staffing reorganization will be extensive and complex."
A typical year may see a small variation between projected and actual enrolment. This year, with more families keeping children out of school, our fall enrolment is significantly below our spring projections," the board wrote.
The board's decision comes after learning that there are 1,700 fewer students enrolled in class than previously anticipated.
Half of these students are in kindergarten, and the other half consists of students between Grades 1 to 8, said Manny Figueiredo, education director for the HWDSB.
Most of those students have opted for home-schooling.
In a normal year, the board's enrolment numbers change by about 100 or 200 students at most. The 1,700 figure marks a massive and unprecedented change for the board.
The changes mean that many families whose children are enrolled in elementary schools must again brace for changes to their education.
The board says that direct communication with impacted families" will begin on Oct. 27.
Figueiredo said the board will be contacting families whose child's teachers or classrooms may change due to the reorganization. The surplus will largely affect occasional teachers currently substituting for full-time teachers, he said.
These changes will not be easy. Some educators will be declared surplus and will be informed about their options. This adds to the challenges of the pandemic. We know how difficult it will be on a personal and professional level, and we are offering our supports," the board wrote in the letter.
More to come.
Jacob Lorinc's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about education.