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Rainbow enrolment up 58 students over 2013

After years of declining enrolment, the Rainbow District School Board is celebrating a net increase of about 58 students over last year. Director of education Norm Blaseg said as of Oct. 31, the board's enrolment is up 64.
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Rainbow District School Board is currently experiencing difficulties with its telephone lines.
After years of declining enrolment, the Rainbow District School Board is celebrating a net increase of about 58 students over last year.

Director of education Norm Blaseg said as of Oct. 31, the board's enrolment is up 64.88 students at the secondary level over a year before, although it's down seven students at an elementary level.

“We're thrilled by it, because as you know, in past years we've been down anywhere between 100 and 250 kids from year to year,” Blaseg said, speaking to NorthernLife.ca after the board's Nov. 25 meeting.

The increase in enrolment, although small, is good news, as it means about $11,000 in government funding per student, he said.

Although enrolment has been declining in schools in most areas of the province for years, Blaseg said it looks like the population dip is levelling off.

Rainbow board chair Doreen Dewar said the enrolment increase also probably has something to do with the new schools and renovations the board has done over the last year, as well as its efforts to recruit adult students.

“It's fabulous, because we're coming out of a time where every year it was declining,” she said. “We're talking about an increase of 57 or 58 students, but when you consider that we were declining by 100, that's 158 we've increased by.”

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Heidi Ulrichsen

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