Rocky View Schools’ 2011/12 budget now includes the $2.88 million restored by the provincial government in October, following fall budget amendments last week.
Trustees voted 5-2 in favour of approving the amendments during their regular meeting at the RVS Education Centre in Airdrie, Dec. 1.
“Each fall, school boards are required by Alberta Education to submit, by Nov. 30, revisions to their current budget to reflect changes that have occurred since the budget was initially approved in the spring,” said Greg Bass, superintendent of schools.
During its Oct. 6 meeting, the board approved $1.25 million for specific schools. An additional $750,000 went into the HR contingency budget and $500,000 went towards the resource staffing budget.
The RVS also had $2.5 million in additional revenue due to an increase in student enrolment.
“We are still doing more with less money for our students,” said trustee Colleen Munro, who made the motion for the budget amendment approval. “We’re were lucky to have two infusions of money this fall. One was the new students; a little more than 500. Then we had the extra money from Premier Redford’s announcement in October.”
Airdrie trustee Sylvia Eggerer was one of the two opposed to the amendments, as she had concerns over timing of new hires and their hit on the budget, and asked for a recorded vote.
“I’m not going to support this budget, for the same reasons I didn’t support the last budget,” she said.
“I have too many reservations to support the budget,” said Airdrie trustee Don Thomas, who also opposed the motion. “I’m disappointed and I don’t like what I’m seeing.”
Trustees Helen Clease, Norma Lang, Bev LaPeare and board chair Bruce Pettigrew were the others in favour of approving the budget amendments.
“In our spring budget we slashed and burned,” Pettigrew said. “This reallocation returns a portion of this back to our schools and our system. I am very much in support of this.”
The full RVS budget is available for viewing at www.rockyview.ab.ca
