Aspen View Public Schools has projected a $317,000 deficit for the 2016-17 budget year.
The deficit will be covered by existing operating reserves, according to Aspen View communications officer Ross Hunter. He explained that the school board adopted a policy on reserves, which outlines a minimum amount of money that must be in the reserves, and the budget has not affected that.
“It still leaves the reserves in an appropriate range,” he said.
Total revenue racks up to almost $44.5 million, but the planned deficit is almost half of what it was in the 2015-16 operating year. Hunter said the plan is to continue cutting costs in the hope of breaking even next year.
Overall operating expenses for schools decreased five per cent due to staffing cost cuts and non-staff costs for professional development, supplies and equipment.
A significant reason for the deficit, Hunter noted, is a decrease in enrolment across the school division.
He explained that the division is funded by the province on a per-student basis, so when the provincial government announces funding for education will remain the same, it does not reflect actual enrolment.
“While funding remains the same, costs are incremental for things like inflation and building maintenance,” he said.
Despite the influx of Fort McMurray students into Aspen View schools last month, Hunter said the division did not adjust enrolment projections to include those students and did not know how they would impact enrolment until Sept. 30, when all students are registered.
“It’s easier to leave it as it and adjust upwards,” he noted.
Some areas were free of budgets cuts. The Literacy and Numeracy program will see an almost $300,000 boost, and specialized support for student services bumped up $66,000.
Aspen View school board will be writing a letter to Athabasca–Sturgeon–Redwater MLA Colin Piquette concerning their views over proposed changes to the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
“The Alberta School Board Association is concerned that the recommendations show a shift of authority away from school boards to municipalities,” Hunter said.
He noted that one of the shifts is around municipal reserves for new school construction, which would take away the authority and autonomy of school jurisdictions and boards to decide where a school should be, how much land should be allocated, and how large the footprint should be.
The other concern was the last-minute notice given to the school board about an MGA review meeting with Piquette in Athabasca on June 3.
Hunter said the board thought they would be invited, given past correspondence with Municipal Affairs about their issues with the proposed MGA changes.
“There is merit in the review, but the overall concern is that we need to be at the table,” he said.
Athabasca University has approved the land transfer agreement with the school division for the new Edwin Parr Composite School.
Hunter said the university completed the agreement on June 8, which will then go to the town for approval of the land title.
Once the land title is returned, the school division can sign the contract with Clark Builders and start scheduling the sod-turning ceremony and getting shovels in the ground.
Hunter said he hoped the land titles would be in place by next week.
“Certainly before end of month, we’ll have the land title,” Hunter said.
The school division has suspended School of Choice transportation fees for students who attend a school of their choice, rather than their designated school.
Hunter said the cost difference for the division to suspend the fee was not significant, totalling just over $3,000.
The difference is an estimate, he noted, based on the actual grant money received compared to an estimated School of Choice fee.
“Even if the student goes to a different school than the designated school, the school board still gets funding,” Hunter said.
He said the school division also receives grant money for students who are eligible for transportation, but do not take the bus because they get a ride some other way.
The grants funds are awarded based on the distance in kilometres to the designated school.
