An increase in enrolment likely will mean the Northwest Catholic District School Board ends up with a budget surplus, the board announced at its regular meeting here Saturday morning.
According to a report of revised estimates for the 2000-01 school year from Controller of Finance Chris Howarth, the board is expected to clear an extra $265,446 in Ministry of Education grant money.
“In the end, I’m sure we’ll end the year with a surplus,” he noted. “I’m not sure exactly how much yet because often expenditures tend to lag behind the grants.
“The majority of the grants resulted from the extra 35 students at four of five schools,” Howarth said. “It will result in more revenue for us, and also means increased teacher and educational assistant hiring and custodians.”
In related news, the Catholic board also revealed final numbers of its 2000-01 enrolment, and an annual average class size report was submitted to the ministry this week.
The report showed the board is slightly exceeding the Education Act’s limit of 24.5:1 student-teacher ratio in two of its schools but is under the limit on an aggregate basis.
While St. Francis here and St. Joseph’s in Dryden have average class sizes of 25.82 (284 students in 11 classes) and 24.81 (459.5 in 19 classes) respectively, the aggregate figure shows an average class size of 24.33 (1,399 pupils in 57.5 classes).
The average class sizes at others schools include 23.33 at Our Lady of the Way in Stratton (105 pupils in 4.5 classes), 24.15 at Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout (314 pupils in 13 classes), and 23.65 at St. Michael’s here (236.5 pupils in 10 classes).
St. Michael’s, the board’s only school considered under the Primary school (JK-grade three) category, has an enrolment slightly below the provincial primary standard of 24:1.
Fort Frances Times
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