As summer vacation winds down for most Edmonton students, preparations are ramping up for teachers and school staff, but staff at some schools in the city’s Catholic School District are scrambling, as some portable classrooms meant to help ease overcrowding have been delayed.
Crews are working hard to get new modular classrooms at Our Lady of the Prairies School in west Edmonton ready for next week – but the added space isn’t enough, and 16 portable classrooms meant for this school and others in the district won’t arrive until well after classes begin.
“Last year we had 508 Students, we are operating at 114 percent capacity,” Principal Suzanne Le Gars said.
Overcrowding has been a major issue for a number of schools in Edmonton in recent years, it’s something school officials and many parents hoped would be relieved with the addition of the portables.
However, Cassandra Longacre, and her son Jackson aren’t fazed by the challenges as he prepares to start Kindergarten.
“I don’t have major concerns about it, the Kindergarten teacher came and talked to us about it, they have their own space, so it’s been more excitement than a negative for us,” Longacre said.
For Le Gars and staff at other schools, work is underway to find space for students until the portables arrive.
“We just need space, it would be nice to be a genie and blink and the space would be there, but we are working on it,” Le Gars said.
With files from Serena Mah
