Ottawa's public school board adjusting elementary classrooms as it deals with enrolment shortfall

Empty classroom. (File)

Ottawa's public school board is shuffling students and teachers in some elementary classrooms across the city of Ottawa as it deals with lower enrolment this fall.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's 2023-24 school year budget called for an average daily enrolment of more than 78,000 students, including 52,339 elementary students.

However, the board says elementary school enrolment was nearly 1,600 students lower than expected in September.

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In a statement on its website, the school board says there may need to be changes made to some classrooms to adjust for the enrolment level, including combining classes and reassigning teachers and staff to different classrooms or schools.

"With fewer students than projected, we need to realign classrooms in some elementary schools to better reflect enrolment in each school," the OCDSB said.

"Some students may need to be moved to new classes and educators may also be reassigned to different classrooms or schools. We understand that a change in classroom can be upsetting to some students and we are committed to ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible for everyone involved."

The board says it can't provide specifics on why enrolment is lower than projected, adding there can be "many reasons for enrolment shifts" including family moves, program changes, transportation issues and parents sending students to other school districts or private schools.

"While numbers may fluctuate, the level of decline from our projected enrolment this year was unexpected," the OCDSB said.

Principals in elementary schools affected by the changes to classrooms will share more information with parents and guardians in the weeks ahead.

The OCDSB says it does not anticipate any staffing layoffs due to the enrolment changes.

"While these may be difficult and stressful situations for staff members, we do not anticipate any layoffs or redundancies as a result of these changes," the board says. "There are a number of available positions across the district and we will strive to match all individuals affected with vacancies that may exist in their school or across the school district."

The board says it has not seen a drop in enrolment in secondary schools across Ottawa.