This has created frustration and uncertainty for parents who would like the assurance of knowing that all of their children will be able to attend the same school for the number of years necessary to complete the span of grade levels offered at the school. Population projections, using the Division's current student accommodation arrangements, predict that during the next five years the situation will get worse. Formation of kindergarten classes at four different schools may be in jeopardy. This will necessitate the ad hoc response of either relocation or combining of classes. Clearly a long-term plan for student accommodation is required.
Small schools do provide the advantage of personalized service.
While there is no universal agreement, some of the current educational literature describes small schools as those with populations between 300 to 475 students. The literature suggests that schools of this size are appropriate for both early and middle years students, and are advantageous in that they have been shown to effectively provide quality academic programs, maintain a nurturing environment, and realize cost savings through economy of scale. The difficulty facing the Division in student accommodation at present is simply that the Division's educational programs are dispersed over too many sites for the number of students being served. The solution lies in the consolidation of programs into fewer sites.