By Tim Kalinowski on October 11, 2017.
Medicine Hat News Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education trustees were told Tuesday that end of September enrolment numbers show there will be 16 full-time students more than projected this spring for the 2017/18 school year. While actual enrolment is still down about 45 students from last year, MHCBE secretary-treasurer Greg MacPherson said the better than projected numbers of FTE students this fall will greatly ease pressure on the district’s budget. The extra students will mean about $124,000 in additional funds for the upcoming school year. “That’s a good news story because our enrolment numbers are up,” MacPherson told trustees. The additional funds will be used to cover shortfalls in the staffing budget for the district and for additional “pressure points” in MHCBE’s 2017/2018 budget. Most of the gain in the projected numbers is due to an increase in 21 full-time students at St. Patrick’s School and an overall increase in PUF funded preschool students in the district. 7