Limited space for influx of kindergarten children

The Eastern School District is deciding how to deal with the influx of new kindergarten students into P.E.I. schools this fall.

The district is holding a special meeting this week to come up with a solution to overcrowding, as approximately 900 kindergarten students will enter elementary schools for the first time in September.

Three schools Sherwood Elementary, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and West Royalty are already overcapacity, and, with a new cap of 15 students per kindergarten class, there will be a severe shortage of classroom space.

A special committee has developed a plan to deal with overcrowding. It will present three potential solutionsat the meeting Wednesday, said Sandy MacDonald, chair of the Eastern School District.

'We can get the classrooms built It's getting pretty tight though.' Sandy MacDonald,Eastern School Board

"Obviously, if you've got a school overcapacity, you have to rezone the kids to a school that is undercapacity," said MacDonald. "It would involve other schools and potentially it could involve as many as eight schools we have in and around the Charlottetown area."

All of the plans involve construction of extra classrooms. But the board has to decide where to put them.

"We can get the classrooms built, we're confident, between now and September," said MacDonald. "It's getting pretty tight though."

The board will decide which option to pursue by the end of January, said MacDonald.