The return to school after summer vacation has a different feel this year for Jon Rever.
As the new superintendent/CEO of Central Okanagan Public Schools, Rever is familiar with the school September reopening process, having worked in public education for the past 30-plus years.
But he admits the view from the perspective of his new job is a bit different.
"I am very familiar with the school district from my time here and the opening of school and all that goes with that. So I am feeling good about that," Rever said.
"But at the same time, if you let your mind go there, it is a bit more overwhelming this year. There are lots of demands in this job and lots of complexities to it.
"I am learning about that, but I am also thinking about how privileged and honoured I am to be in this role. I have a high level of dedication and commitment to serving kids and families in this school district, which is something that is near and dear to my heart."
Student registration is a focal point every September, as the annual school budgets are set in the preceding spring based on enrolment projections.
If enrolment falls short of what is projected, that has a direct impact on student funding provided by the province.
Last year, the enrolment projections in the spring fell short by about 200 students come fall registration for the 2024-25 school year, which caused a $2.5 million funding shortfall from the province on per student funding.
"We learned from that process last year to project a smaller increase of up to 150 students, which also lines up with the ministry of education's own enrolment projections, it does for each school district," Rever said.
He said enrolment has typically revolved around the 1.9 per cent increase annually for the last decade, but projections indicate that level may drop in the immediate years to come.
"In the big picture, it feels like the Kindergarten-Grade 1 numbers are softening. We are not seeing the large enrolment growth patterns at that level we have been seeing in the past decade," Rever said.
But as the enrolment surge of recent years starts making its way through the K-12 system, the pressure points are shifting to the secondary schools.
Currently, a new secondary school is under construction in West 麻豆精选, and a new middle school has been announced by the province for the Glenmore area of 麻豆精选. As well, the expansion of École Dr. Knox Middle has now been completed, and six new portables have been added to Rutland Senior Secondary.
"We added the portables at Rutland Senior Secondary because we basically have run out of space, and we are seeing growth at the secondary school level right now. KSS is full along with Mount Boucherie," he said.
The provincial commitment to build modular additions to schools to replace the demand for portables has also been felt in the Central Okanagan School District, as new additions at several elementary schools are already completed or in the works.
While Surrey is the poster child for spiking student enrolment beyond current school capacity, Rever said enrolment growth in the Central Okanagan remains manageable.
"We now have 127 portables within the district, and as we complete these capital projects, we may end up down the road with a surplus of portables," said Rever, which would relieve the financial drag that places on the school district's operating budget since the province doesn't allocate specific funding for portables.
Beyond enrolment numbers, other issues facing the school district will include the impact of Artifical intelligence (AI) technology on classroom teaching and learning for teachers and students.
Rever noted the school district has developed a comprehensive AI guidelines strategy for teachers to help their decision-making on how to adapt AI as a learning tool in their classrooms.
"We have tentative plans to host a parent conference in the new year about AI use in our schools, helping educate parents on what they can expect to see, what AI tools students can use to support their learning," he said.
The school district is organizing that forum in partnership with the Central Okanagan Parent Advisory Council.
He calls the AI process part of a holistic approach to education, a teaching philosophy that develops the "whole person" by integrating and balancing the intellectual, emotional, physical, social and spiritual aspects of learning from students, rather than focusing solely on academics.
Along those lines, another project Rever will have dedicated his support to this year will be working directly with secondary student council representatives to support them in creating projects that reflect the interests of students in their particular schools.
Rever sees that as another opportunity for students to have a greater investment in what they are learning in school and the opportunity to focus on issues or concerns, another aspect of the holistic approach to education.
"The idea of student agency is something not everyone is familiar with but our teachers have been working to engage students in the learning process in different ways, and that will continue to grow across the system in all our schools as a way of including a student voice in their education process," he said.
