Saskatchewan's new Distance Learning Corporation (DLC) provincial virtual school is opening this fall and Moose Jaw has been named a location for one of its regional campuses.  

The Saskatchewan DLC will have its main office in Kenaston with additional regional campuses in Estevan, La Ronge, Moose Jaw, Neilburg, Nipawin, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Yorkton.  

Darren Gasper, Saskatchewan DLC chief executive officer, said they consulted with school divisions across the province and one of the concerns they heard was the need for local connections and context.  

“That really was the impetus to make sure that we had regional campuses in place so that our teachers and administration located there have a strong connection to the schools in their area and can support their students from that regional perspective,” Gasper said.  

Classes will be run out of the DLC’s main office as well as the regional campuses. Students registered in the new virtual school will be connected to their local school division, which will provide tuition to the DLC.  

Gasper said they will be looking for applications for teachers in the next month or two.  

“The opportunities are going to be posted here in March for teachers to apply to be a part of it, so each teacher will make that decision about where they want to work in the future and we look forward to seeing the interest from staff,” he said.  

The Prairie South School Division along with the DLC will provide educational assistants, speech-language pathologists and counsellors. The school division will provide driver’s license training, graduation ceremonies and extra-curricular activities.  

While the DLC is through the public school division, Gasper said the Holy Trinity Catholic Separate School Division was also consulted.  

“Students who are in the separate system will be able to take courses from the corporation as well,” he commented.  

Registration for the new virtual school will open in April. Adult students looking to complete their Grade 12 or take additional electives will also be able to do so through the DLC. Gasper explained some of the courses that will be offered through the program.  

“Grade levels are everything from Kindergarten to Grade 12. When we look at all of the different courses at the high school (level), we're going to see all of the traditional core classes like ELA and math and science. But then you're going to see over 100 high school electives,” he explained.  

The physical location of the regional campus in Moose Jaw is yet to be determined.