Jenkins closure
The anticipated closure of Ken Jenkins Community School was made official at last night’s school board meeting. Jenkins is a school that has struggled for several years with low enrolment that did not appear to be rebounding, and there seemed to be little movement in the surrounding community to keep it operating. Transition issues will remain a concern in the coming year, as students will be moving from one of Regina’s smallest school to some of the largest schools, Buck and Mironuck.
RealRenewal raised concerns last October about potential ripple effects, noting that each closure, however small, has the potential to push receiving schools over acceptable enrolment levels for an elementary school. Mironuck had already been the recipient Wascana School’s French students, who were moved to accommodate the students arriving at Wascana from the Herchmer closures, for example. The board has since been engaged in adjusting attendance boundaries to spread students around more evenly. With school enrolments rising generally in Regina, working with attendance boundaries is a measure that could help support enrolment at schools on the borderline, ensuring we don’t end up with wide enrolment disparities at either end of the scale.
The loss of a designated community school is also an issue to keep in mind as a transition issue to be tracked, as community schools come with additional staff and funding supports for their students.
Media Contact
RealRenewal spokesperson:
Trish Elliott
patricia.elliott@uregina.ca
Tel: 306 585 4449
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