The following article that was published in the Sept. 17 print issue of the Athabasca Advocate has had some changes to correct and clarify information.
The article 'Legal name change for Aspen View' on page 11A of the Sept. 17, 2019 issue of the Athabasca Advocate contained an error: Aspen View Public Schools Secretary-Treasurer Amber Oko will be meeting on Oct. 3 with the Association of School Business Officials of Alberta, not Alberta Education.
The Athabasca Advocate apologizes for any confusion and appreciates Aspen View Public Schools for working with us to clarify any erroneous information.
The name "Aspen View Public Schools" will remain as the operating name and as public branding, but the legal name will change.
A ministerial order issued by Education Minister Adrianna LeGrange Aug. 15 came into effect Sept. 1, which ordered all school divisions across the province to drop the word "public" from their names, but will only impact school divisions regarding formal documents like signed contracts and agreements, and financial transactions with the Government of Alberta.
Superintendent Neil O'Shea said as a result, their new legal name is Aspen View School Division.
"That's the name the government has mandated us to use for our division," O'Shea said. "But we are allowed to have an operating name different from our legal one, and our operating name will continue to be Aspen View Public Schools."
But he added that some changes will result from the legal renaming of the division.
"Our bank accounts will need to be Aspen View School Division so we can deposit cheques into our account," O'Shea said. "As well, any of our contracts with different people will have to say Aspen View School Division."
He added that the order that caused "quite an upheaval" across the province was not as clear as it could have.
"There was a thinking that our operating names would have to change as well," O'Shea said. "A few days later, Alberta Education sent out an email stating that school boards can use whatever operating name they wish to use."
O'Shea said that in the past, they would have had to ask the government's permission to change the operating name of a school division.
"At this point in time, there is no such requirement in place," he said.
Trustee Dennis MacNeil then made a motion to continue to use the operating name, that being Aspen View Public Schools, for as long as possible. The motion was carried unanimously.
"If the government wants to drop the word 'public' from all the schools divisions within the province, then they should also drop the word 'separate' as well," MacNeil said. "If (Minister LeGrange) is serious about keeping all the schools the same and on a level playing field, then all of them need to change. I believe in public schools and public education, and believe that public should remain in our name as we are a public school division."
October 3 board meeting postponed
The Aspen View Public School Board of Trustees have passed a motion made by Trustee MacNeil to postpone the Oct. 3 board meeting to Oct. 10.
"That is the day that our Secretary-Treasurer, Amber Oko, will be attending a meeting of the Association of School Business Officials of Alberta to take a look at funding formula recommendations," O'Shea said. "If the meeting were to take place at its regular scheduled day, we would not have our Secretary-Treasurer at that meeting."
Trustee Anne Karczmarczyk said it's really important to have Oko at the first meeting following the release of the student counts which show where the division is at.
"If it's possible we can change the date, it needs to be done," Karczmarczyk said.
Board Chairperson Candy Nikipelo said that as the following meeting will not take place until Oct. 24, there was some room to change the date of the Oct. 3 meeting.
The meeting will no longer take place at Edwin Parr Composite School Oct. 3, but at the Aspen View Schools boardroom Oct. 10.
"All the classrooms at EPC were booked on Oct. 3 anyway," O'Shea said. "They had even requested that they pass on hosting a meeting this year due to the lack of availability at the school during this time."
MacNeil moved to relocate the meeting to the board room, while hosting a delegation from EPC during the meeting and then having lunch with the staff at the school itself. The motion was carried unanimously.
Minister LeGrange to visit Aspen View
Education Minister Adrianna LeGrange is set to meet with the Aspen View Board of Trustees at H.A. Kostash School in Smoky Lake Sept. 27.
"We received some good news towards the end of August that we were on the Minister's agenda," O'Shea said. "We made it into the first cut in her plan to meet with all 61 school divisions across the province. As a result, she will be meeting with board members and senior administrators from 1-2:30 p.m."
He said that the agenda for the meeting with the minister will be set by the Board of Trustees.
"Some items were brought up during a Board Briefing Session that took place August 22," O'Shea said. "Some items we would like to discuss with the minister includes more autonomy, funding equity, rural sustainability, rural autonomy, access to learning supports, choice in education, and infrastructure needs that include the replacement of H.A. Kostash School."
