Growth Spurt At Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board

Growth Spurt At Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board

Officials with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board were expecting increased enrollment this year, but not this much. About 570 new students showed up this year. The number of students currently registered to attend the 50 Catholic schools in Simcoe County and the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound has risen to 21,338. Growth was expected but came in much higher than projected in communities like Bradford, Angus, Tottenham, Collingwood, Muskoka and Wasaga Beach. “This is an exciting time for our board,” said Carol Corriveau Truchon, Board Chair. “We are coming out of several years of declining

“This is an exciting time for our board,” said Carol Corriveau Truchon, Board Chair. “We are coming out of several years of declining enrollment and related funding pressures, a trend which was felt province-wide. We did anticipate growth in some of our communities this year, but this increase is beyond what we projected.”

“We are incredibly pleased to welcome these new families to our Catholic school communities and we appreciate everyone’s support as our staff work to make changes to accommodate this growth,” said Brian Beal, Director Education. “I know our human resources team is working hard to fill supply and casual positions in almost all employment areas and our schools are making classroom and staffing adjustments as well.”

The increase in enrollment, in addition to retirements, resignations and promotions, has resulted in the hiring of 121 new permanent employees since January 1, 2017. The board has hired 60 new elementary and 35 secondary teachers, 17 educational assistants and nine office and clerical staff. Currently, there is a significant demand to hire supply and casual staff, to fill the vacancies created by these changes.