By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

YEAR IN REVIEW

Budget restraints dampen “good year” for Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools

Dec 29, 2019 | 12:18 PM

Budget challenges in 2019 will likely continue to define the work of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools beyond the calendar year.

Board Chair Anne Marie Watson says the last 12 months were good for the division in that it saw the completion of a modernization project at St. Patrick’s Community School, and because design funding for a new middle school was announced by the government in October.

However, grappling with finances did put a strain on things.

“We had anticipated we’d have a smaller budget just because of the election rhetoric, but the impact was worse than we expected,” she admits. “We saw the final numbers — a budget shortfall of $4.75 million — and we’ve been able to cover that out of reserves, but now those are pretty depleted.”

Looking forward to next year, she says, it will continue to be something they’re concerned about.

Two-Year Diploma

Red Deer Polytechnic creates accelerated Practical Nurse Diploma pathway for health care professionals

2h ago

advocating for strategic action

Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce comment on Land Use Bylaw public hearing

2h ago

Chance to win prizes

Registration open for Green Deer spring cleanup campaign

3h ago

“It’s not just about the budget shortfall, but also the fact that the Government of Alberta is redesigning the entire way they fund education, and that’s supposed to happen with Budget 2020, but we have no details of what that will look like,” she points out.

“Within just a few short months, they could roll out a brand new funding formula, and that kind of thing doesn’t happen very often. It’s a significant change, and I’m worried about what it will look like and mean for a growing school division.”

Watson is also crossing her fingers for additional funding in order to implement whatever revamped curriculum the government comes up with.

As for that middle school, Watson says all we know at this point is that it will be a grades 6-9 facility for around 500 students, and that it will be in the city’s northwest or northeast. The division is still working with the City on an appropriate site.

“In terms of naming, in the New Year, we will launch an invitation for stakeholders to suggest a name with some rationale, and those names will come to the board for consideration.”

But when looking back on what the division should be most proud of in 2019, Watson says it’s the work Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools do in the community.

“All of our schools are really involved in the community in different ways. Our two high schools just announced their grad service projects, and those are really significant ways those grad students are hoping to effect change in our community,” Watson says. “Even our elementary schools do projects and that’s really unique and worth celebrating.”