The Town of Sundre will be meeting with Sundre High School administration and other stakeholders to discuss what might be done about a projected drop in enrolment at the school over the next decade, say officials.During last week's governance committee meeting, Sundre high school principal Jason Drent presented statistics to council showing the Grade 9 - 12 school could be in for a marked decline in student numbers.There are currently 338 students, 22 teachers and 11 support staff at the school. By 2020, the number of students is projected to fall to 255; in fact, the decline has already started at the school, falling from a high of 376 students in 2005.The statistics are from a recently completed Strategic Education Report prepared by the Chinook's Edge School Division.While other schools in Mountain View County may also experience some student enrolment decline over the next decade, those declines are expected to be less severe than in Sundre, said Drent.ìOther schools in the division are seeing an actual demographic decline, but it is not as much as what we are seeing here,î said Drent.A decline in student enrolment could have a long-term impact on teacher numbers and program funding, he said.ìWith enrolment comes dollars for programs, so from my position as principal of the school, when I have enrolment dropping I need to ask the questions of why it is happening. Is there something we can do at the school and at the community level?î Drent said.ìIf we want to find out why some of these things are happening, then we need to have this discussion. We need to start talking about it now.îSundre Mayor Annette Clews said the town is willing to work with the school to find solutions.She called the high school an important part of the Sundre community as a whole.ìAny long-term decline in enrolment will impact the community at large,î said Clews. ìThe whole community is intertwined, so we all need to look at what is happening at the school. We need to possibly find a way to reverse that trend (of declining enrolment).îA stakeholders meeting is now being arranged to discuss the enrolment situation and what may be done to meet the challenge, she said.Sundre town councillor Paul Isaac echoed Clews' comments, saying declining enrolment at the school should be a concern for everyone in the community.ìWe need to have a discussion on this, about what can be done to address it,î said Isaac.Sundre-area Chinook's Edge trustee Ron Fisher said the school is not in danger of closing, although falling enrolment could eventually impact teaching levels and programming.ìI've been taking with the school about the enrolment situation for some time,î said Fisher. ìWe know the dip is coming.îFisher said he is prepared to join in discussions with the town and school regarding what might be done about the long-term enrolment situation.
