The Burnaby school district is considering longer school days and staggered student schedules because it doesn't have time to build its way out of the overcrowding that local high schools are "immediately facing," according to superintendent Karim Hachlaf.
Parents at five local high schools (Alpha, Moscrop, Burnaby Central, Burnaby North and Burnaby Mountain) got letters from their school principals Thursday informing them the district is considering the changes to the school schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.
"Together with the district, we are very much mindful of the impact that shift would have on students, families and school staff," the letter states. "We're looking to keep change to a minimum."
School start and end times could be adjusted to create space for one more block, according to the letter.
"We are looking at students continuing to attend four blocks of classes, with an additional fifth block available for scheduling," the letter states. "This fifth block would increase capacity within the building by allowing the possibility of students' schedules to be staggered depending on their classes."
Schools are also working with district staff to analyze space inside their buildings and how future enrolment growth might be accommodated.
"That data will be critical in determining how we proceed," states the letter.
The class schedule changes are being considered at five of the district's eight high schools to address "enrolment challenges," according to a media statement from Hachlaf.
"Like many districts, we've had significant enrolment increases, and more growth is forecast," he said. "The pace of growth at many of our high schools is such that we can't wait to build ourselves out of the capacity issues we are immediately facing."
The letter to parents notes it's "still early days" for the schedule changes under consideration, and schools will keep parents and guardians informed.
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