LDCSB continues to open more schools and classrooms to match population growth

How the Catholic school board is managing growth There's been significant growth across the region's Catholic schools in recent years. CTV London's Gerry Dewan reports.

St. Gabriel is the London District Catholic School Board's (LDCSB) newest elementary school. Located in northwest London, it's slated to open in January, and will be immediately filled with 500 students - a sign of the unprecedented growth for the board.

LDCSB Education Director Vince Romeo said that the numbers speak for themselves, "we are anticipating to start the school year off well over 27,500 students, which is a net increase of over 1500 students from last year."

Romeo said that for the last five years, LDCSB has grown faster than any other catholic board in the province, and he doesn't see that slowing. "We're projecting at least 1500 students a year moving forward. And, we continue to hire to try to meet that growth and continue to work with the Ministry of Education to build more schools."

Along with St. Gabriel, LDCSB has another major school construction project underway - the new Regina Mundi College Secondary School, which will replace the current building on the same property.

The board has 44 elementary schools in the region and nine secondary schools, with new schools planned for northeast London and the Komoka/Kilworth area. Schools are also receiving significant additions in Woodstock and St. Thomas.

According to Romeo, the primary catalyst for growth continues to be the same, “we're seeing a continued migration of families out of the GTA area and into the London region. So the growth in the London District Catholic School Board is consistent, within the City of London, but also in Oxford County and Elgin County and in Middlesex County."

While that migration presents some challenges, it’s also helping the board fill the demand for teachers.

"We're seeing a continued migration of families out of the GTA area and into the London region. So we've hired 450 teachers in the last two years, and we're finding many of those teachers are moving into the London region."

Romeo said that the board will need to build up to six new schools to continue to meet demand. When asked how soon the board needed the new schools to be operational, Romeo replied, “yesterday.”

In the meantime, the board has ordered 50 new portables, bringing the total in the system to 230.