The Bluewater District School Board should take a more active role in trying to prevent a decline in student enrolment.
That’s the viewpoint of Joe Grieco, a parent of two kids in the Bluewater system.
Grieco made a presentation to board members at a recent meeting, asking why enrolment numbers are dropping steadily.
Grieco presented figures that he claims show the Bluewater board has lost just over 17 per cent of their students between 2004-05 and 2010-11.
He contends that during the same time period, the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board lost just over 4 per cent of their students.
Grieco says he wants to know why there is such a large discrepancy between the two figures.
He adds Bluewater schools are losing students to the Catholic system, or they are choosing to be home schooled.
However, Bluewater Trustee Jan Johnstone says the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Johnstone notes the demographics of the area have changed considerably in the last decade, so there are less kids to send to schools.
She adds they are not the only board experiencing declining enrolment, and they will look to delve further into the issue as part of their new Strategic Plan.
