The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Restrictions on class sizes in Flin Flon elementary schools begin taking effect this fall, but not without some challenges. Kindergarten classes at Ecole McIsaac and Ruth Betts Community schools will have caps of 20 students. Superintendent Blaine Veitch said the change meant some requests to have children attend a school outside of their catchment area could not be fulfilled. But even if trustees wanted to create classes of more than 20 students, their hands are tied by an incoming provincial decree. The NDP government has ordered that all kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms in Manitoba have no more than 20 students by September 2017. Under direction from the province, Flin Flon and many other school divisions are beginning to phase in the cap this year, starting with kindergarten. See 'McIsa...' on pg. 7 Continued from pg. 3 At this point, McIsaac will have two English kindergarten classes with 19 and 20 students respectively. It will also have a French Immersion kindergarten class that so far has eight pupils. Ruth Betts so far has two kindergarten classes of 15 students apiece. Veitch said two spots at McIsaac were deliberately left open in case a child moves into the school's catchment area over the summer. One of those spots has already been filled. After more than three decades in education, Veitch says that while there may be no 'magic number' for class sizes, 'it's reasonable to say that once classes get too large, there is an impact.' There will be some exceptions to the province's class-size cap. Ten per cent of classrooms per school division will be allowed flexibility to go beyond the cap, but only by a maximum of three students. Where Grade 3 students are combined with students in higher grades, those classrooms will also be subject to a 23-student class size limit. Divisions will be required to report class sizes to parents and the public as the cap is implemented. Last week, Education Minister Nancy Allan said the province is moving forward on the cap plan. 'Now, more than ever, success in life depends on having access to quality education early in life,' she said in a news release. 'Through this initiative, we are building a solid foundation for future success for our children. We all know that smaller class sizes and investments in teaching contribute significantly to improving student achievement, as students do better when they receive more one-on-one time with their teacher.' Manitoba divisions are now eligible for funding based on their kindergarten to Grade 3 enrollment. In applying for funding, they must indicate how they would use that funding as part of the smaller class size initiative. New teachers In the 2012-13 school year, funding can be used to hire additional teachers to reduce class sizes, provide professional development directly related to smaller class sizes or plan work directly related to achieving smaller class sizes where possible. Allan said the cap complements other early learning and child-care initiatives, including legislation that would require early learning or child-care facilities to be included in all new schools and major renovation projects. Divisions are not allowed to displace school child-care facilities in their planning of how to achieve the class size caps.
