Regional Office – Barrhead, Alberta

No schools considered for closure next year
The school board accepted administration’s recommendation that no schools be considered for closure next year. Each year administration reviews the division’s schools against the criteria in Policy 15 to determine if a school or program should be considered for closure. This year, none of our schools met the criteria, which include:

• Are there health and safety threats?
• Is the school hitting a critical minimum enrolment?
• How many students are we expecting to attend in the future?
• Are fewer than 60 per cent of the students in the attendance area attending the school?
• Does operating the school create excessive costs for the division?

School board transfers funds from operating reserves
As a result of a 2016-17 surplus by Vista Virtual School, $946,667 was placed into a contingency reserve in the fall of 2017. From this reserve, the board authorized the transfer of $500,000 to a capital reserve which will be used to purchase buses in 2019. The remaining $446,667 will be used in 2019-20 to support the division priorities of student diversity, student-teacher relationships, numeracy and literacy.

The 2017-18 audited financial statements will be presented to the board at their November 28, 2018 meeting.

Trustees prepare for provincial meeting
The board spent time reviewing and discussing the Alberta School Boards Association policies bulletin that will be the focus of their upcoming Fall General Meeting in Edmonton. School boards will consider policy position statements for English Language Learners and access for student mental health. They will also discuss the benefits of education funding that is adequate, stable and predictable, as well as funding to maintain school buildings.

The next school board meeting is on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the PHPS Regional Office in Barrhead. Members of the public are welcome to attend.