French school district rolls out welcome mat

While many parents are concerned about the future of French-language education in New Brunswick, the superintendent at the province's French school districts says some parents couldconsider enrolling their children there.

By Grade 10 about 90 per cent of the students in New Brunswick's School District 1 are fluently bilingual, said superintendent Anne-Marie LeBlanc.

The district, which serves southern New Brunswick, would be happy to accommodate more students, LeBlanc said. There are currently 15 schools and more than 7,000 students in its system.

However, children are only eligible to attend the French school district if one of their parents is francophone or was educated in French. French is not required to be spoken inthe child's home.

A report released by the French second-language commission on Wednesday recommended the elimination of early French immersion in the province.

If the government accepts the report, the immersion program thatcurrently begins in Grade 1 would be grandfathered out in favour of a more intensive French program beginning in Grade 5.

Underthe proposed system, students would receive five months of intensive French in Grade 5 and then have the option of moving into a more extensive version of the current core French program, which makes the language a mandatory subject in school, or entering a late-immersion program. All French-language schooling would continue to Grade 12.

"Our children are very bilingual, both French and both English, and that is certainly an added value to our system," LeBlanc said.

The schools also promote the francophone culture, LeBlanc said. "We are a dwindling number, the last census report has shown that, so we need to have that promotion to try to alleviate the assimilation process."

Although LeBlanc invitesparents to consider the school district,she said the schools are currently struggling with overcrowding.

At one of the district's schools there are eight kindergarten classes, and three Moncton schools will have portables added in the fall for more classroom space.

LeBlanc said the school district hopes to have a new school built by 2010 and to have 17 classrooms added to another school within a year.