WATCH: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has announced that proposed cuts to education funding won’t be moving forward, and that is music to the ears of Lethbridge school officials. Matt Battachio reports.
“We were looking at originally a two and a half million dollar shortfall.”
Bleak words from School District 51 Board of Trustees Chairman Mich Forster when considering the situation his district faced following PC cuts to education. Now that Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP Government has restored over $100 million dollars to the system, the mood has changed drastically.
“Oh, nothing but smiles around here (School District 51)”, Forster chuckled.
Teaching jobs were not expected to be impacted by the looming cuts, but support staff would have been hit hard. With new funding on the way, those jobs will be saved.
“It allows us to provide support,” said Forster. “In terms of classroom assistance, caretaking, maintenance staff. It just allows us to keep our schools clean and safe.”
Though exact numbers haven’t been released yet, the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division stands to benefit significantly.
“Oh, we’re definitely gaining on this,” said Holy Spirit Superintendent Chris Smeaton. “Initial figures are looking probably about $1.5 million dollars (up) and that’s just in our division. Certainly a vast majority of that, probably two-thirds to three-quarters of that is the funding of new growth.”
Growth is something many Alberta schools are experiencing, including those in School District 51. It has seen an approximate 10 percent enrollment increase over the past three years. Officials are hoping the funding might also lower the student-to-teacher ratio.
“We’re hoping that class sizes will be maintained at, at least the level were at, and maybe even some reductions,” said Forster.
That’s good news for local districts, because more students are on the way.
“This year we plan to see another 150 and perhaps even more new students.”
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