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More students enrolled in elementary school in SD42

201 new students in system
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(Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS) New school board trustees were inaugurated during a ceremony on Nov. 7.

Enrolment numbers are up in the school district.

There are 201 more students registered in School District No. 42 this fall, with the growth seen solely in the elementary schools.

“That’s where our growth has been and where we expect it to be for the next little while,” said trustee Mike Murray.

“And of course those numbers will track through secondary school.”

Last year, there were 8,665 students enroled in elementary schools in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. The projected enrolment for this year was 9,007. However, 8,866 are enrolled.

In secondary schools, there were 5,421 students enroled last year, with the exact same amount registered this year.

The projected enrolment was 5,354.

Murray did not find the numbers surprising, although enrolment projections were higher than actual enrolment, which he said gives the school board a bit more breathing room.

“We’ve obviously grown by a couple of hundred students and we do anticipate growing over the next several years,” he said.

In the past year, the district added 32 classes.

“Doing things like we did at Yennadon [elementary], where we took the annex and basically added four Kindergarten rooms,” said Murray, adding that it’s a great illustration of what the district is needing to do right now.

“The projections certainly are identified in our updated facilities plan, which is out for comment right now,” added Murray, the outgoing chair.

The next school board meeting takes place today, Nov. 21, when a new chair and vice-chair will be selected following the October municipal elections.

School board trustees were inaugurated on Nov. 7 at Thomas Haney secondary.

Murray singled out incoming trustee Colette Trudeau, saying we know how important it is to have her on the board.

“I know that she comes to the board with a great deal of experience despite her young years. But with that cultural background will bring something very special to our decision making,” he said.

Trudeau comes from a Métis background, with more than nine years of experience working for Métis Nation British Columbia, which represents nearly 90,000 self-identified Métis people in the province.

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Reelected school board trustee Mike Murray addresses the crowd during the board’s inauguration night at Thomas Haney secondary on Nov. 7. (Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS)
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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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