International education students are patiently waiting for school to start in School District 43 - and are not threatening to leave because of the labour dispute - says assistant superintendent Patricia Gartland.
As many as 1,420 students, most of them in high school, have signed up for classes, shelling out $13,000 for tuition, $900 in medical fees, $850 a month for home stay accommodations and a $200 application fee.
This is the highest number ever for SD43's long and successful international education program, and Gartland said she has yet to see any fallout from the public school teachers' strike.
"We continue to market international education in our usual way and I think people in other countries know about labour disputes," Gartland said. "There's a lot of understanding and a lot of patience."
That's good news for the cash-strapped district, which relies on international education fees to cover some operating costs. Typically, SD43 receives about $13 million in revenue but this year expects about $17 million due to an influx of 300 more students than usual.
Gartland said the students are getting used to their home stays, collecting their timetables and getting oriented to their new community.
Some have expressed concerns about getting report cards, which is important for validation in their home country, but Gartland said she is confident the report cards will come and that the school year will be complete, despite the work stoppage.
"I'm as confident as you can be during this time," she said. "I'm very encouraged that our international families have confidence in our education system, they are delighted to be here in Canada and making friends."
