Busing
Clearview School Board discussed two major issues regarding transportation at its May 18 meeting.
First, the board discussed the possibility of combining in-town pick-ups with rural pick-ups in Grandview. That notion was turned down.
“Given that we are so tight in transportation this year, that would mean we have to reconfigure buses, so that was a no,” said trustee Peter Simons.
The board also discussed whether to enter into a co-operative busing agreement with East Central Alberta Catholic District School Division. The financial advantage would be the funding received for transporting up 20 to 30 students bound for Catholic schools.
No decision was made on the matter and the board will continue to review the situation.
Budget discussions
Another issue that was discussed was the budget for the coming school year.
“We are by no means done with the budget,” said Simons.
The board has come to the conclusion that it will be in a major deficit, unless a lot of cuts are made.
The board has received $687,000 less in funding from the Alberta government compared to last year.
“That immediately puts us behind the 8-ball,” said Simons.
The board is also predicting a lower-than-normal enrolment at its schools.
The government of Alberta has also taken away half of the funding for the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement funding, a program that was introduced six years ago that allows schools funding for innovative methods of teaching.
“We can see that there all kinds of pressures that are causing this deficit,” said Simons.