The Grande Yellowhead Regional Division is above average. Compared to province-wide numbers, the local school division has a higher number of students classified as having severe special needs. In Alberta, it is estimated that one to two per cent of students between kindergarten and grade 12 can be classified as severe needs, while in the GYRD, that number jumps to 5.3 per cent.

These 240 students receive $3,489,388 in funding from the province, a total that works out to a shade over $14,000 per student. 

The regional numbers for students with mild or moderate special needs are somewhat lower than the provincial average. In the GYRD, 8.5 per cent of students fit this latter category, while 10-15 per cent of all students in Alberta are considered in the same terms.

The most noticeable increases from 2004/2005 to the current school year came at the kindergarten level, where the percentage of students listed as having a mild to moderate need jumped from 10 per cent to more than 14. In the other grade categories, the numbers were largely unchanged. The increase amongst kindergarteners is due in large part to a special project, said a GYRD spokesperson.

“Early childhood education has become a focus for the GYRD,” said Nicole Merrifield. “There is an increased recognition that it is important to identify students with special needs as soon as possible.”

Through the Alberta Initiative on School Improvement, the division has been accessing specific funding for improvements to kindergarten education for the past three years.

“The project is called ‘The Gift of Time’,” said Merrifield. “It’s extra time in a small group setting with a trained kindergarten instructor.”

A key part of the project is to increase teachers’ knowledge and understanding of special needs, which allows instructors to better evaluate which children might fit into these categories.