Two schools in Prairie South School Division (PSSD) are operating over 100-per-cent capacity and 14 schools are operating under 50-per-cent capacity, leading one trustee to wonder whether those underused buildings are needed.
There are 31 schools in PSSD and the average space utilization in the division is 58 per cent, according to a buildings accountability report. Twelve of the underused schools are in the rural areas, while the remaining two are at Empire School (31 per cent) and Riverview Collegiate (19 per cent).
Meanwhile, the two schools that are overcapacity are King George School (102 per cent) and Sunningdale School (105 per cent).
The space usage rate is based on a formula that uses current kindergarten to Grade 12 enrolment and a school’s capacity number, Darren Baiton, buildings department manager, said during the December board of education meeting while discussing the 2020-21 facilities accountability report.
In schools where the Ministry of Education funds pre-kindergarten programming, those students are included in the formula, although the formula does not consider division-funded pre-k programs. This results in lower usage rates in several schools.
“The ministry provides us with these space utilization numbers. The pre-k does bring it down a slight bit,” he said.
It is concerning to see King George and Sunningdale on the list in the overcapacity category, said trustee Lew Young. However, he was also worried about those underused schools that ranged from 19 per cent to 31 per cent.
He noted that the buildings department once looked at decommissioning space in schools and wondered if that option was still viable. The division normally talks about expenses and how much it costs to have buildings, but it would likely save money if certain areas in schools were closed.
“We still have those same areas of decommissioning,” said Baiton. “We haven’t addressed it from that current decommissioned space.”
It would cost more to decommission some areas of a school because of how heating systems are constructed, with those “heating loops” providing warmth similar to radiators, he continued.
Meanwhile, in Riverview, much of the space there is used for programs and extra division office space. Moreover, other underused schools have computer labs in rooms that fill up space.
“The ministry funding, they haven’t reduced it due to utilization,” Baiton added.
After the creation of Prairie South following amalgamation in 2006, the board used the decommissioning document to review buildings and the number of students in those venues, said Young. While he knew that trustees no longer had the “appetite” to close schools, he thought future boards would have to review whether some schools were viable and justify keeping them.
Buildings statistics
During the 2020-21 school year, the buildings department completed $5,075,561 worth of infrastructure projects throughout the division, the report said. Projects ranged from upgrading lights in schools to LEDs to removing asbestos from buildings.
The department responded to 8,247 maintenance tickets during the previous school year. It closed 7,472 tickets, while 123 are still pending, 572 are still in progress, and 80 were denied.
In comparison, it received 7,341 maintenance tickets during the 2019-20 school year, 6,595 tickets in 2018-19 and 6,295 in 2017-18.
The volume of those maintenance tickets last year included 123 urgent requests, 3,474 high requests, 4,082 medium requests and 197 low requests, the report said.
It took three days to complete the urgent requests, 15 days to finish the high requests, 14 days to complete the medium requests and 16 days to finish the low calls.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 11.
