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Cumberland Community School projected to reach capacity in two to three years

SD71 starting public consultations in the fall
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Cumberland Community School. Google Maps Image.

In a presentation to Cumberland council Monday, SD71 superintendent Dean Lindquist outlined the strain on the school system that could be coming in the next few years with rising enrolment numbers.

Focusing on the Village, Linquist said Cumberland Community School currently has around 499 students, under their capacity of around 543 students.

However, the system used by the school district to project enrolment numbers estimates that by the 2021/22 school year, enrolment will already be above capacity.

Linquist explains that the system does not account for new housing developments happening in the community, and it is possible enrolment numbers may grow more quickly.

Other schools in the district are also nearing, or already above, their capacities. Highland Secondary is about 75 per cent full, while G.P Vanier is 100 per cent full and Mark R. Isfeld is at 120 per cent capacity.

“This fall, we’re beginning consultations in our community, asking very difficult questions about new students, grandfathering students, cross-boundary questions and so on,” said Lindquist. “[We’re looking at] either new schools, additions to schools or changing catchment areas and moving students outside of their normal area in order to adjust to the shifts.”

He added some schools may see the addition of portables or a reutilization of spaces in the coming years, such as weight rooms being converted into classrooms.