Lean budget means tough decisions for School Boards

Courtesy of Gateway Gazette

A provincial budget that essentially provides no funding increase for school boards means tough decisions will have to be made at the local level. This may include cutting programs and staff.

“We are very disappointed that government did not keep its promise of providing sustainable funding over multiple years. We are back to the rollercoaster ride of not knowing from year to year what we will have. That makes stability in schools difficult and long-term planning impossible,” commented Jacquie Hansen, president of the Alberta School Boards Association.


Hansen was also upset that the Alberta Initiative for Student Improvement funding was cut. “We accept we need to be part of fiscal constraint but why cut a program that has had a very positive impact on student learning for a relatively small investment.”

The elimination of AISI and transportation fuel subsidies in April force many school boards to immediately scramble to adjust. These and other tough decisions leading into the new school year will change the face of schools and classrooms, predicted Hansen.

“Each school board will make their own decisions based on the needs of local students and their communities. Those decisions will be hard and likely have a negative consequence.” She said some school boards may choose to use reserves to make up the shortfall but that means capital projects and programs designated to be paid through reserves will have to be cancelled or delayed.