The Rocky View School (RVS) Board of Trustees intends to minimize the impact of a $10 million shortfall in their budget on students by bringing down central and school reserves, reducing resources and adjusting service levels while still avoiding mid-year staffing cuts.  

At their meeting today (November 14) the board also voted to introduce additional transportation fees to offset the loss of the government's Transportation Reduction Fee Replacement Grants.  

“Given we’re mid-way into the school year, our board is committed to minimizing cuts to our classrooms by drawing down reserves to 3.5 percent of our overall budget – a reasonable limit recognized by the Auditor General as sound fiscal management,” said Board Chair Fiona Gilbert. “Based on administration’s work with our budget committee, Trustees anticipate receiving a fall budget proposal that will draw down $4.32 million from central reserves and $1 million from school reserves, with Education Centre budgets reduced by $1.53 million and school budgets by $1.75 million."

After a lengthy debate between Trustees, the board voted to bring in a transportation fee of $308 per student that will be applied to all bus riders who attend their designated school and live 2.4 km or further from that school.  Gilbert says, "We have asked that families impacted by the additional student transportation fees be informed by administration no later than the end of November.”

The new transportation fee will be applied to the first two riders per family.  Additional family members will be expected to pay 50 per cent.  Currently, the fee applies only to riders who live less than 2.4 km from their designated school or are transported to a school other than their designated school. 

If administration’s fall budget proposal is approved, Associate Superintendent of Business and Operations Larry Paul says school administrators will be asked to reduce their spring budgets by $40/student, generating $1 million towards RVS’ revenue shortfall. The remaining $753,000 will be drawn from monies held back this fall in anticipation of potential provincial budget cuts.  Paul says, based on his department’s review of school budgets, the reduction of $40/student will amount to between $5,800 and $43,300 per school.

“School administrators should be able to achieve this budget reduction with minimal impact to students,” said Paul.

Chair Gilbert says the use of reserves is not a sustainable funding model and says Trustees plan to reach out to their school communities in coming months to help establish budget priorities for next year in preparation for a challenging 2020/21 budget.

“Our board will continue to advocate to government that school authorities be engaged in the evaluation and redesign of Alberta Education’s new funding framework to ensure equitable access to funding for RVS students,” says Gilbert. “Our Board extends its gratitude to the learning community for its patience as RVS works through this difficult process of adjusting its budget mid-year to address grant changes made by the government.”

The RVS fall budget will be tabled for consideration by the Board of Trustees at their next meeting, scheduled for November 28th. 

Following the release of provincial grant rates in the October 24th budget by the Alberta government, RVS identified a $10 million budget shortfall for the 2019/20 school year due to the reallocation of Alberta’s class size grants and school fee/transportation fee replacement grants to fund student enrolment growth.