The school for my community is over-full and they only actually take students from one half of the community (and even then it's not a guarantee - I know someone who bought a house across the street from the school and didn't get in). Not a huge issue for me since my kids go to French Immersion anyhow but we wouldn't have been able to get them in the local public school.
The French immersion school that one of my kids goes to and the other will be starting at next year was on the verge of closure a few years back but now is expected to be capped within the next 2 years - it's almost completely full and no more room for portables. The school where my wife teaches has had to convert the library to a classroom and are trying to decrease the number of students.
So yes I think there's a definite need for more schools. I think they need to be better thought out with a modular design/portables to allow for easy growth and contraction, along with plans for eventual partial conversion to other uses (e.g. community centre) if attendance drops.
|