The St Clair Catholic District School Board says enrollment is stable this year.
Director of Education Dan Parr says 6,224 elementary students are expected, which is about 1.5 students less than what the board projected and represents a decrease of 0.3%.
"We're considering that to be a good thing actually, because with so many boards going in the opposite direction, we're happy that we're flat lining in elementary and in secondary it's pretty much the same story," says Parr. "We are expecting a 0.2% decline in enrollment. We had 2,476 students last year and this year we are expecting 2,473."
Parr says in this era, no growth and no decline is a good news story.
He says they've been able to find work for all of the staff through attrition.
Parr says dozens of projects were carried out at their schools over the summer.
"There not the glamorous things," says Parr. "We're spending our money on things that make a difference behind the scenes, that contribute to the long term structural health of our buildings. Things like HVAC, windows, roofing, a few plumbing issues and preventative maintenance."
He says there are a few projects the board has invested in that will be noticeable.
"We've added accessible water fountains in twelve of our schools, we've done some washroom modifications and made the administrative office space at some of our schools more visible and welcoming."
Parr says they've also done quite a few energy efficiency projects, like installing more LED lighting and replacing some outdated energy inefficient boilers with more efficient ones.
Lambton Kent District School Board Human Resources Superintendent of Education Phil Warner says elementary enrollment is higher than it was last year.
"We're lookin at about 14,500 students and the number of teachers will be somewhere between 860 and 870," says Warner.
However secondary enrollment is down by about 240 students.
With files by Lee Michaels
