The board of trustees for Rocky View Schools (RVS) had little choice on June 6, but to unanimously approve $610,851 from the 2012 to 2013 Operating Budget to fund the 2013 to 2014 modular projects cost-sharing arrangement imposed by Alberta Education.
“It isn’t fair to fast growing boards but it is what it is,” said Darrell Couture, associate superintendent of business and operations.
“This is a direct penalty on growing boards,” he added.
Alberta Education implemented the new funding structure for portables on March 7, which requires school boards to be responsible for 50 per cent of the set-up costs for new and relocated portables.
The $610,851 will come from the anticipated surplus RVS is expecting in the 2012 to 2013 school year.
“In the six years I’ve been a trustee this is the first time we’ve had to fund 50 per cent of these portables,” Trustee Colleen Munro said.
She added the new arrangement is “clearly a move by the Redford government to access the surplus funds on other boards.”
“This (funding) is actually coming out of our classrooms,” Trustee Bev LePeare said.
Trustee Helen Clease requested administration direct a letter to Alberta Education indicating the board’s concern over this new arrangement.
Six schools in the district will receive a combined total of 16 portables with the total cost coming to more than $1.2 million.
Any overrun costs associated with the portables if the project is not completed by Aug. 31, will come from the 2013 to 2014 operating budget.
Work place policy
The board unanimously passed and enacted the second reading of the Respectful Working and Learning Environments policy.
The new policy has clear definitions for what Rocky View Schools considers respect, harassment, discriminatory harassment, non-discriminatory harassment and bullying.
“This is the first policy with something to do with bullying written right in,” LePeare said
She added she was also pleased to see Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) included in the policy under areas of discriminatory harassment.
The new policy will replace the now rescinded Personal Harassment.
In an effort to clarify for RVS communities the alignment between policy and procedure, the Board voted unanimously to rename policy JA Community Relations Guiding Principal to Community Engagement.
“I think this just puts it out there in terms of a policy,” Clease said.
She added the policy helps identify five distinct levels of community participation in the engagement process.
“This really expresses the philosophy of this board and the philosophy of what we’re trying to do,” she said.
