It’s been a long period of confusion surrounding education funding in the province for the 2015/16 school year. Dating back to March, school boards across Alberta worked with preliminary numbers and projections to plan budgets despite uncertainty whether enrolment growth would be funded.
With funding confirmed as part of the release of the new Provincial budget Oct. 27, Rocky View Schools (RVS) updated its own budget during its regular meeting on Nov. 19.
“I’m glad the budget is done with,” RVS Board Chair Colleen Munro said.
“This budget gives us stable, predictable funding.”
The NDP government’s pledge to fund enrolment growth translated to funding for approximately 380 more teachers and 150 additional support staff added to the system.
RVS has projected revenue increasing by 0.9 per cent – or $2 million – based on Alberta Education and other grant increases.
According to RVS Associate Superintendent of Business and Operations Darrell Couture, “94 or 95 per cent” of RVS funding comes from Alberta Education grants.
As part of the revised projections, RVS anticipates posting an operating deficit of approximately $2.4 million – $326,870 less than the spring budget deficit of approximately $2.7 million.
Most of that additional revenue will go towards instruction in the classroom, but other expenditures identified by RVS – including specialized services, services for inclusive learning environments and investments in instructional practices – will also see funding.
Trustee Sylvia Eggerer said she and Munro had recently participated in an audit committee, the results of which will be discussed during the RVS board of trustees meeting scheduled for Dec. 3.
“The comment from (the meeting) is that we’re running very thin,” Eggerer said.
“We feel we have to make sure everything we can possibly put into the classroom is there… (but) maybe there needs to be a backfill to some of the other areas as well.”
LGBTQ Support
Following a call from Alberta Education Minister David Eggen that Alberta schools board adopt policy to protect LGBTQ students, RVS trustees reiterated a history of support for sexual minorities.
“RVS already has a policy. As a board, we’re looking at our priorities and re-looking at them,” Munro said. “We’re way ahead of those comments from the Minister.”
RVS currently has a policy called Respectful Working and Learning Environments, which contains definitions of conduct ranging from “respect” to “bullying.” The policy was approved in 1998 and amended in 2002 and 2013.
The policy includes reference to “discriminatory harassment,” which includes protection from harassment on grounds of “sexual orientation, including LGBTQ.”
Eggen asked school boards to develop LGBTQ policies by March 31, 2016.
