Low numbers threaten French Immersion

The Northwest Catholic District School Board met with concerned parents last night regarding its French Immersion program.
With only 14 students enrolled so far in French Immersion at the senior kindergarten level at St.
Michael School for this September, the board asked for help from parents to encourage others to consider the program for their children.
“We all need to work together, it’s a partnership,” Education Director John Madigan told the roughly 40 parents and teachers on hand at St. Michael’s last night.
The board’s policy is to run the French Immersion program with at least 20 students enrolled in SK.
This is largely because of attrition rates when students move away or leave the program.
“If you start with 20, you’re going to end up with 15 or 16 at the end of Grade 3,” Madigan said.
“It becomes a very difficult program to run, fiscally.”^Superintendent of Business Chris Howarth admitted the board potentially could afford to run one class with low enrolment.
The problem arises when the enrolment remains low every year.
“Fiscally, we just can’t operate a school system with classes of 14,” Howarth explained. “It isn’t sustainable.”^The problem isn’t limited to Fort Frances.
“There certainly is some declining enrolment in French Immersion across the province of Ontario,” said Superintendent of Education Al Cesiunas.
“Trying to find French Immersion teachers to teach these classes is becoming increasingly difficult,” he added.
Madigan stressed children already enrolled in French Immersion were not in danger of losing their program.
“The board’s policy is if they’ve started, they’ll see it through to the end. The board is committed to that,” he pledged Students currently enrolled in French Immersion—from SK to Grade 12—will be able to stay in the program until they graduate from high school, Madigan noted.
And the board remained optimistic for the program.
“We have time. We have time to let parents know about it and to drum up some interest in it,” Madigan said.
A final decision on whether or not the French Immersion program would be offered in SK this fall does not have to be made until mid-April, he noted.
Members of the local Canadian Parents for French also attended last night’s meeting.
“CPF Fort Frances plans to work very hard to bring additional students into the program,” said local chapter president Nina Sokoliuk.
“We are fortunate that our children have the opportunity to have a bilingual education,” she added.
“French Immersion opens up many academic, cultural, and career opportunities.
“We want to keep our children’s options open.”