Student enrolment increase warrants more teachers: superintendent

Prince Edward Island's French Language School Board will not be losing any teaching positions in the government's education cuts.

Rather, the board is concerned it will not have enough teachers with itsseven per cent increase in student enrolment.

Superintendent Anne Bernard-Bourgeois said there will be 60 more students in the six French schools across P.E.I.

Most of the new students are entering kindergarten.

"In Charlottetown, we've right now grown from one kindergarten class to two. And we're on the eve with a few other kids to have to split it into three," said Bernard-Bourgeois.

The French Language School Board was hoping the government would add more teachers to increase their staff. The board was looking for three more positions.

But Bernard-Bourgeois says she will have the same number of teachers, 95.

That means the board is now trying to rearrange classes and programming for the next school year.

"I just can't do any more without compromising quality, and the integrity of what this province would want me to offer. We certainly can't put 40 kids in a kindergarten classroom," said Bernard-Bourgeois.

Education Minister Hal Perry told CBC PEI Tuesday the French Language School Board will be getting one more teaching position, not the three it wanted.

Perry said the increase of one position is enough.

"Their classroom sizes are smaller. Their student to educator ratio is 9 to 1. So with the enrolment of approximately 60 is theprojected number this fall, they'll be able to handle those numbers quite easily," said Perry.

Bernard-Bourgeois disagreed.

"If you just look at the numbers, people might say, 'why would they need more?'" said Bernard-Bourgeois.

"Well, we need more because we can't put four classes together at this particular school.It's not acceptable, and we don't want to lose the quality we can offer."

Bernard-Bourgeois says the board maygoback to the government in a few weeks to ask for the additional positions.