February 15, 2012
What I like to call the “uncertain” time of year is upon us. Each year school Boards across the province wait in anticipation of how much resource they will have to operate for the next school year. In the past few years this has been a very frustrating time as rumours of funding cuts, salary increases, etc. leave Boards guessing about such things as staffing cuts and larger classes.
As I listened to Minister of Education, Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, in a budget briefing prior to the Provincial Budget 2012 being tabled in the legislature last week, a ray of optimism pushed away the usual pessimism. This budget is an important one which will not only allow Parkland School Division to move forward for the next school year, but for the first time laid out funding levels for the next three years. The government made good on its promise to provide School Boards with predictable funding for three years which will allow us to plan more than one year at a time.
The Budget was not all good news but there was much more for students than most Trustees anticipated. For Parkland School Division some of the highlights are:
- A small overall increase in base funding, most of which will support classroom instruction. This does not factor in any probable enrolment increases.
- A significant increase in grants to support inclusive education. This will help the Board provide appropriate support for all students who have diverse needs.
Significantly, there was no new announcement about capital funding and no new school announcements for 2012. As I have mentioned before, we desperately need a new school to accommodate rapid enrolment growth in Spruce Grove.
While Parkland School Division Board of Trustees welcomes stable and predictable funding, the small increase is operating budget for next year will mean a continued challenge to provide the wide range of services and programs you as parents expect. However, because of predictable funding, the Board now has the tool to provide the best possible education for students with the ability to plan for more than one year at a time.
Aside from the budget, there have been a number of other issues in the press over the last few weeks. The current five year agreement between the Province and teachers expires at the end of this school year. The Minister has attempted to get another provincial agreement in place between the government, the Alberta Teachers Association and School Boards. No agreement was reached before the Budget and Minister Lukaszuk has indicated that he will not get the partners together again until after the expected Spring Election. If an agreement does not happen then School Boards across the province will begin local negotiations with their teachers. While most boards hope there will be an agreement, we are preparing for local negotiations and I will keep you posted as weeks unfold.
For those interested, we have posted all our current collective agreements on this website, you may view the Collective Agreements here.
Full day, full time Kindergarten has been discussed extensively and the Minister has told Trustees that he is receiving a message of strong support from parents. He has also indicated that Boards should provide a choice of the current half time system and full time. The province is not ready to introduce this for the 2012 School year, but it will probably come about within the next two to three years.
Bill 2, the new Education Act, has been tabled in the Legislature and it will be a flagship bill for this session of the legislature. I will bring you more details of this as it progresses through the house.
Notwithstanding all of the above, we are heading for a spring election and education will be an election issue. Let us hope that the real winners are our children.
On behalf of the Board, I wish you a happy Family Day weekend!
Richard Gilchrist
Board Chair - Parkland School Division