Identifying the Unique Needs of a Growing and Diversifying School Population

Superintendent of Schools for Beautiful Plains School Division Jason Young came into his role about a dozen years ago, moving from classroom teaching to counselling to administration over his 26 years with the division. Born and raised in the neighbouring town of Minnedosa, he studied at nearby Brandon University and has been with Beautiful Plains for the entirety of his professional career.

Young outlines the role and responsibilities of the superintendent, including the six areas of focus in the job description: leadership and division culture; human resource management; policy and governance; organisational management; communication and community relations; and curriculum planning and development. Most of these are done in partnership with schools in the division and under the direction of the board of trustees, which are elected during the municipal election period every four years.

Each year, Young says, he takes time while he’s doing the annual workplan to reflect on where they’ve come from and where they’re at. For instance, just over a decade ago when he started in the role, the division was still on dialup internet with few devices and a declining population in all of the schools. Now that situation has completely reversed with technology at the forefront and the population increasing to the point where there is little classroom space left despite the fact that a new middle school opened just a couple of years ago. Young expects that the town will see another new school In Neepawa within the next decade, and as well many families are choosing to send their children to smaller schools within the division which currently have fewer students.

The Department of Education sets the curriculum for all divisions within the province, and the division is restricted in terms of the budget they receive, but within those limitations, Young says, there is room to tailor policies and additional courses based on the unique needs of the division. This includes balancing academics with sports, music, arts, and extracurriculars, but also with education in the trades. Young suggests that is the biggest area for growth in the district and there is tremendous interest from both students and the community.

One of the biggest unique needs in the division is the need for English as an Additional Language supports, with Neepawa’s large and still-increasing immigrant population. Another is the fact that of the 14 schools in the division, seven are on Hutterian colonies. Other divisions, says Young, have their own specific needs or concerns, such as poverty or transportation, which is why the flexibility to meet those needs is so important and why it would be so difficult for a consolidated school board system to meet student needs across the province. This is something that has been considered by the Province but is not slated for implementation at this time.