Rural Alberta school moves to 4-day week to boost enrolment

For Jennifer Fawcett, Granum School is more than a place her kids go to learn. It's where the community gathers for fundraisers, Remembrance Day ceremonies and more.

"It really is the heart of our little community," she said.

The kindergarten to Grade 9 school has 42 students from the area surrounding Granum, a hamlet of less than 600 people about 120 kilometres south of Calgary.

"There is definitely a family feel in the school, and they do feel very much connected to each other," said principal Randy Bohnet.

Fawcett says she loves the care and attention her children get — not just from their teachers but the entire community.

"It's the kind of place where everyone knows whose kid is whose, and we all care about all those children, whether or not they're ours," said Fawcett.

Granum School principal Randy Bohnet says its small learning environment creates a 'family feel' for students. (Ose Irete/CBC)

In recent years, student numbers dropped at the school, sparking conversations about whether it would be able to stay open.

"I just got here and I loved the school. I was like, 'Oh my goodness, don't close it,'" she said.

Now, as a way to attract more families and boost enrolment, Granum will move to a four-day school week in the 2024-25 school year.

Rural schools struggling with enrolment

School divisions in Alberta are funded based on a three-year weighted average of their enrolment. The funding formula takes into account the current, future and projected student population to allocate funds.

"There has to be enough students to keep it viable," said Livingstone Range School Division board chair Lori Hodges.

Fourteen schools in rural Alberta have closed their doors between September 2019 and April 2024, according to a statement from the minister of education's office.

The reason given for many of those closures was not enough students attending to justify the resources being spent  to keep them open.

Fawcett says Granum has struggled to keep numbers up in the past but the issue resurfaced when the COVID-19 pandemic happened.

"A lot of people either moved away completely [or] started homeschooling," she said.

Bohnet says some parents who work outside the hamlet moved their children to schools where they work because there wasn't child care available in Granum.

By the 2022-23 school year, there were worries the facility might not have enough students to sustain it long-term.

Hodges says the division recognized how important it is to the community and explored how it could stay open.

One idea was creating an academy or alternative program to attract more students. That's what the division did with the ski academy at Livingstone School in Lundbreck.

"We also looked at doing a Christian-based programming out there, too, but none of them just seem to fit the area well. So we decided to start with the four-day school week, and so we propose it to the parents," said Hodges.

One of the classrooms at Granum School will be converted into a daycare facility. (Ose Irete/CBC)

4-day week flexibility appealing, says school division

In March, 18 of the school's 27 families responded to a survey asking if they would support a four-day week. Seventeen voted in support.

It took some convincing for parents like Fawcett, who voted in support.

"Everyone was like 'this isn't a good idea.' But I actually was quite swayed in the meeting where they explained some of the benefits for children and for families," said Fawcett.

The division hopes the flexibility appeals to area families.

"I feel like a lot of farming families would like the four-day school week. The kids are there a whole day at home now to help on the farm," said Hodges.

Fawcett says some homeschool families have also expressed interest.

"They could still have one day for family or homeschool, but then the kids still get the benefit of being at school with friends and teachers and covering stuff that the parents are less confident with," she said.

Child-care access a major issue

For the four-day week to really work, though, the lack of child-care access had to be addressed. That much was clear in the survey where eight of the 17 families who voted for a shortened week said they'd only support the move if child care was available.

Now, the school district is working with a provider to set up a daycare facility in one of the school's empty classrooms.

Fawcett hopes the combination of the four-day week and available child care can keep the heart of the community beating.

"The school is like our gem. It's our treasure. That's why I think you'll find most people are very passionate about it and wanting to keep it open and thriving."

The school will still meet all instructional and teaching hour requirements in four days, Bohnet says. School will start earlier and end later. Five minutes will be taken off recess and lunch to help create an extra class block.