ATHABASCA – Despite the fact Aspen View Public Schools is projecting a $349,000 deficit in the coming school year, there is still a lot of “good news” to be found in the 2023-2024 operating budget, such as the division projecting an enrolment increase for the second year in a row.
“To have two solid years of increased students is amazing," said board chair Candyce Nikipelo, adding that a reduction in enrolment is more typical. “That is a good news story for our school division.”
Aspen View trustees approved the 2023-2024 operating budget during their May 25 meeting in Athabasca which project revenues of just over $45.14 million, which is an increase of approximately four per cent from 2022-2023, while expenses are estimated to be $45.49 million, resulting in a deficit of $349,304.
On the revenue side, provincial per-student funding is going up and the allocations have increased overall. This is partly related to Aspen View’s total enrolment increasing to 2,659 students, which in turn translates to 2,583 full-time equivalent (FTE) students.
That In turn raises the weighted moving average, which is used to determine provincial funding, by 46.45 students.
However, the division is also having to contend with the loss of $2.6 million in “bridge” funding meant to help divisions transition to a new funding model, though that is at least partially offset by stabilization funding of $775,000.
Secretary-treasurer Amber Oko said their transportation funding is also changing due to the province now fully funding the transportation of K-6 students who are over one kilometre and Grade 7-12 students who are over two kilometres from their designated school.
Oko said they are also receiving a new Classroom Complexity grant of $157,400 and a mental health grant of $260,000, though these grants have very specific spending constraints and reporting requirements. "So it's not just an increase overall that we can use how we want,” she said.
When all is said and done, Aspen View’s overall revenue has gone up by four per cent.
Overall expenses increased by 4.31 per cent from 2021-2022. With staff expenditures accounting for 67 per cent of all expenses, much of this is due to negotiated salary increases for both teaching and support staff, as well as a 10.9 per cent increase in benefit costs.
Aspen View will see an increase in transportation costs, though that is being offset by the additional provincial funding.
Oko said it was important to note that Aspen View has always transported students that were not eligible for funding, “so historically there has been a large transportation deficit.”
The resulting deficit will be funded out of operating reserves. However, Nikipelo pointed out that the division is still well within its provincially mandated reserve levels.
“The board is willing to spend those reserves to put the services in front of kids that we need,” added Supt. Neil O’Shea.
Final comments
In terms of risks to the division, Oko indicated that Aspen View is having to contend with increased operating costs related to utilities and supplies as well as staffing.
Specialized positions are becoming difficult to recruit for, and the “unpredictability” of funding also makes it difficult to sometimes retain staff, said Oko, pointing out the $775,000 in stabilization funding as an example.
"We don’t' know if we will have that next year, so it’s difficult to plan long-term,” she said.
Nikipelo agreed that the province allocating a large portion of funding through temporary grants makes planning difficult.
“If some of the funding comes as grants, and we have no idea if that would be retained for the following year, there goes your predictability,” Nikipelo said. “That really fluctuates your budget.”
Oko also pointed out that the very specific constraints around grants can make these extra dollars hard to use, such as the Classroom Complexity grant being mandated for support staff.
“It’s great that we’re getting dollars for the additional support, but it’s difficult for us to always utilize those dollars when they do have constraints attached to them,” Oko said.
O’Shea said in his mind, this was “a very good budget,” highlighting a number of positives such as the introduction of new funding to support the rollout of new English and French Language Arts, Math and Science curriculum in the fall.
As well, O’Shea pointed out the division was able to maintain staffing in schools, “and in the odd case we’ve been able to increase a little bit.”
Some initiatives started by the board are also continuing on, such as the high school success coaches, which assist students in their path to graduation.
“A few years ago, the board, coming out of COVID, was very wise in terms of dedicating money to high school success coaches,” O’Shea said. “That is maintained in this budget. We have not interrupted that at all, and we are seeing some great results from that work.”
The division was also able to keep up the liason position funded by the Careers: The Next Generation program, O’Shea said, adding that they are frequently asked by the public to help prepare kids for the life they will have after high school.
“By maintaining our relationship with Careers and watching that program grow, in conjunction with our high school success coaches, I think we’re going to see some of the results we want,” he said.
And while the constraints placed on grant funding can be burdensome, O’Shea noted the mental health grant is in line with the priorities of the division and the greater community to support mental health.
