Horizon School Division will receive a portable classroom for a Humboldt school. (File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Portable classrooms

Humboldt Public School to receive portable classroom

Feb 16, 2024 | 4:00 PM

Much-needed classroom space is coming to a local school.

The provincial government announced that they are providing $32 million in funding for 45 relocatable classrooms to increase classroom space across Saskatchewan.

One of those classrooms will be housed at Humboldt Public School.

“It continues to be a school and a community that are growing,” Director of Education Kevin Garinger told northeastNOW. “So we’re fortunate that the government (was) able to provide us with funding to be able to get us a portable (classroom) moving on that school.”

Garinger said higher enrollment numbers in the pre-K to Grade 8 facility has led to a need for extra classroom space.

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“The enrollment numbers are what they look at closely and our enrollment numbers in the school are up, and they continue to rise,” Garinger explained. “We’ve put in an application in the past and this year we were able to get the funding to help support adding to the space that we need for our children in that school.”

He said the division is grateful to the government for what they have put forward to help support the need for more space.

The classroom could be used by any of the students according to Garinger, but he added it’s likely to be used more by students in Grades 4 through 6, where they see some of their largest need.

While the school was built just a decade ago, Garinger says its size no longer matches the higher student numbers. He was new as a director in the division at the time of the opening in 2014.

“It was designed for a certain number of students,” said Garinger. “That’s how government deals with expansions and new construction…is they look at – what are the projected numbers going to be? Not so much for the future, but for the opening.”

Garinger said at the time the needs were met but the population has just outgrown the building. He added it’s difficult trying to project 10 years down the road with many variables, including businesses like BHP bringing in more families to Humboldt and area.

When the school was built in 2014, enrollment was around 280 students, and Garinger said today it is approaching 350.

The division is engaging on the next steps to get the classroom in place in the coming months – likely over the summer – with the hope to have it operational for the fall of 2024.

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK