Chinook's Edge School Division should have the same or maybe slightly more students in its classrooms when the new school year gets underway next month, says longtime Sundre-area trustee and division vice-chairman Ron Fisher.
“We think the student population will be relatively stable with what it was last year, perhaps gaining a few students,” said Fisher, in his 16th year as trustee.
Chinook's Edge had 10,800 students in the 2013-14 school year in 43 schools. There are 1,300 staff members across the division.
The opening of the new grade 7 to 12 school in Penhold will be an early highlight of the new school year, he said.
“We had a tour of it recently and it is a very nice school. It is attached to the recreation centre there so they have a real nice facility,” he said.
Trustees will be getting back to work later this month, he said.
“We are having a planning session coming up in the first week of September,” he said. “We will set the parameters and some of the general guidelines for the new school year. We will be setting that out.”
Asked if he has any particular goals for the next term, Fisher said, “Nothing specifically other than keeping the programs that are doing well. We will let things develop.”
School offices in the division will be reopening on Monday, Aug. 25, with classes starting on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Other trustees in the division are Sherry Cooper, Colleen Butler (chair), Connie Huelsman, Sheldon Ball, Trudy James, Jackie Swainson, Holley Bilton and Gordon Kerr. Kurt Sacher is the superintendent.
- Singleton
