Louis Riel division forced to improvise amid bulging classrooms

Louis Riel School Division has been forced to “get creative” by considering converting part of a library into two classrooms at a K-8 school in which enrolment has ballooned by 300 students in the last five years.

“This enrollment pattern is a pressure,” said superintendent Christian Michalik about Island Lakes Community School. “The class size isn’t ideal, isn’t where we’d like it to be, so we are trying to lower it.”

The division in southeast Winnipeg is struggling to contend with an overwhelming demand for teaching space and a longstanding lack of capacity in its schools.

The number of students at the Island Lakes school has jumped significantly in the last five years — from 415 in 2019 to 712 as of Wednesday.

The increase has forced officials to “get creative” as they await support from the provincial government, Michalik said.

The superintendent said the school has an average class size of 25 students in K-3, and 29 students in grades 4-8 — exceeding the division’s targets of 20 and 25, respectively.

The provincial government agreed to deliver two modular classrooms by September 2023, which would have helped alleviate the strain, but they did not arrive as promised. When the government changed hands the following month, it further delayed the process, he said.

The pre-fabricated buildings were to sit on school grounds and serve as a temporary measure to bolster capacity, Michalik said.

Meantime, to combat overcrowding, the school converted a community room into two classrooms last year. It is now discussing doing the same to its library, he said.

“That has not happened yet, but that is something we are talking with the community about for next year,” he said.

The move would reduce the size of the library by roughly two-thirds.

“For a lot of students, this is the only library they may interact with on a day to day basis,” said Robert Beattie, a parent of two Island Lakes students.

“This can have direct repercussions on literacy rates, the success of standardized testing and their overall academic achievement, those are really the key points.”

Beattie, who spoke against the plan during a meeting with trustees Tuesday night, questioned whether the school division was doing everything it could to expedite the arrival of the promised classrooms.

“The difficult position that the school has been put in, I can sympathize with them on that,” he told the Free Press. “They say they will be creative in how they use the rest of the school, but… at the end of the day, nothing quite replaces a library.”

Jim Legary, who has three children enrolled in Island Lakes, shared concerns about the safety and sanitation at the school, pointing out it is well beyond capacity according to City of Winnipeg bathroom permits.

“The difficult position that the school has been put in, I can sympathize with them on that. They say they will be creative in how they use the rest of the school, but… at the end of the day, nothing quite replaces a library.”– Robert Beattie

The city-issued occupancy permit, viewed by the Free Press, says the school is limited to 600 people due to the number of washrooms it contains.

Legary questioned why the capacity limit is not being enforced.

He said he would like the province to step in and ensure Island Lakes is a suitable learning environment for children.

“From a parent’s perspective, this is just beyond infuriating,” Legary said. “There needs to be some immediate steps taken… to get this school back in shape for September.”

Michalik said the school is working to rectify the lack of bathrooms as per the occupancy permit.

Overcrowding is an issue throughout schools in the division. For years, administrators have been forced to make tough decisions as they try to balance student demands and classroom space, including moving students to different schools, Michalik said.

Moving students from Island Lakes is a last resort, the superintendent said. He remains confident the modular classrooms will be delivered and installed before Sept. 1, when the student body is estimated to grow to 762 students.

Island Lakes will need at least four more modular additions in the coming years, he added.

“Our list of capital requests for the provincial government is very long and I know we are just one of 37 school divisions,” he said.

A new school is expected to open in Sage Creek in 2025, which will help alleviate overcrowding, Michalik said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca