School divisions are battening down the economic hatches despite an announcement of a one-per-cent increase in funding in Alberta’s 2015 fiscal budget on Thursday.
Scott Morrison, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools superintendent of schools, said while the division will receive a one-per cent increase in operations funding, $86.9-million to about $87.8-million, it won’t cover the division’s estimated four per cent increase in expenses.
“What they did was raise some grants and lower others and the entire impact is we will have a per cent more, or about $800,000,” Morrison said.
However, he said with expenses ranging from teachers’ salaries, transportation and inflation, costs have gone up at least four per cent from last year.
Also school boards are not receiving any funding for increases in enrolment. The funding is capped based on the school divisions’ 2014-15 enrolments.
“If we grow by three or four per cent we have to fit those students into the exact same classrooms, otherwise we are adding money into the system,” Morrison said. “Frankly, if our (student) numbers are lower next year, it is probably helpful. So with a one-per-cent-increase and four-per-cent in expenses that gets a lot worse with rapid growth.”
If, for example, Okotoks enrolment increases from 3,500 students to 3,700, he said the division will have to make due with the same amount of revenues.
Morrison said he believes CTR-Catholic has small enough student-class sizes it can withstand an increase in enrolment.
He realizes that the province is battling $42-a-barrel oil as opposed to more than $100-a-barrel a year ago.
“It’s going to be challenging, but it’s about what we expected,” he said.
The CTR-Catholic budget last year was approximately $102-million. The other funds come from other grants and things like student fees.
Drew Chipman, assistant superintendent—corporate services for Foothills School Division said the initial reaction to the budget is things are going to be tighter in the following year.
“My overall reaction is it is going to be a difficult budget process and we will have to do the best to get through it,” Chipman said. “Until we know the particulars, we can’t get into any specifics.”
Foothills School Division is getting a bump in operational funding from about $72.4 million to $73.1 million from the province.
Chipman is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“The government does those profiles every year, but when we actually sit down and look at them, it is usually significant different,” he said. “I’m not confident there is a one-per-cent increase for Foothills School Division.”
He said the constraints on handling increased enrolments was something the division did not anticipate.
David Matson, a Highwood High School teacher and the Foothills School Division Alberta Teachers’ Association representative, said there are issues with the provincial budget.
“Teachers are concerned about the cuts that are being applied to our most vulnerable students,” Matson said. “We have a 1.9 per cent cut to inclusive education, a 3.1 per cent cut from EASL, 3.1 per cent cut from First Nations-Metis-Inuit, 3.1 per cent cut for Kindergarten PUF grants for children with severe disabilities…”
He said putting a cap on dollars for enrolment could potentially cause issues.
“It is going to put pressure on teachers, but what we are concerned about is learning conditions for students,” he said.
Highwood MLA Danielle Smith said the budget has confirmed Foothills School Division can proceed with the modernization for Foothills Composite High School to convert it to a K-9 school.
Plans for a new high school in Aldersyde was also confirmed.
A K-9 school in Davisburg for CTR-Catholic a small K-12 Francophone school in the Air Ranch area for the Southern Alberta Francophone School Board is also in the books.
She said the Province has done the best with a tough situation.
