Foothills School Division is continuing its fight for increased transportation funding from Alberta Education and is asking the community for a hand.
The public school division posted a call-out to its social media this week, asking the public to sign a letter of support and pass it on to elected officials, while also sharing the message via their own Facebook or Instagram pages.
"We need your help to tell our government that transporting students to schools safely isn't sustainable and further funding is needed," it wrote.
The division has been very open in its struggle to adequately fund its fleet of 87 buses.
Director of transportation services Wanda le Roux previously said funding rates have not increased since the 2012-13 school year. In 2020-21, there was a 4.5 per cent increase to grant funding for school transportation. However that increase was based on the 2012-13 base amount.
In 2012-13, FSD ran 67 routes, compared to 72 now.
There has also been a 16.3 per cent increase in eligible student passengers.
The price of the buses has skyrocketed over the last 10 years. Just over $85,000 would have got the division a bus in 2012, now that same yellow machine costs $135,000.
Fuel prices are also a significant factor. le Roux previously told the division's board of directors they have seen a 36 per cent increase to the cost of fuel.
Wages for drivers have also increased. The highest wage paid to an FSD bus driver is $22.35 per hour compared to $21.49 per hour previously.
The Facebook post also highlights the inability to use capital funding budget dollars to purchase insurance, which has increased 300 per cent in the last decade.
Additionally, the school division says it sees a $250,000 shortfall in transportation costs every school year, which is then drawn from operational funding. This money would otherwise go into staffing classrooms.
"We want to ensure students are safely transported to school, but not at the risk of our classrooms," the post continued. "We need your help to tell our government that Foothills School Division needs additional funding to stop this shortfall."
For more information about the division's advocacy, or to download and sign a letter of support, visit foothillsschooldivision.ca/page/9977/advocacy.
