When the Clearview school board met last Thursday for its regular meeting, much discussion focused on preparing information for the community consultation meetings.
Those meetings are slated to begin the last week of February and continue through the spring.
As the Clearview School Division faces rising costs, declining enrolments and the task of reducing its budget by $1 million to avoid another deficient position, “tough decisions” are anticipated, the trustees said.
Some options discussed are cutting teacher positions or changing grade configurations, but no decisions are expected until after the community meetings.
The board reviewed and made changes to Policy 217 — the Clearview funding model used to determine school funding.
Proposed policy changes, which could affect the way small and large schools are funded, caused heated discussion.
Castor trustee Karen Holloway reminded trustees that “fair and equal are not the same.”
She also said she didn’t want to “pit one community against another.”
The board plans to continue its review of Policy 217 and others at this Thursday’s planning meeting. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. and is open to the public.