By Troy Gillard

$2M deficit

Wild Rose School Division approves 2021-22 Budget

May 20, 2021 | 8:53 AM

The Board of Trustees for Wild Rose School Division has approved the district’s budget for the 2021-22 school year.

The budget includes a deficit of about $2 million that will be covered through reserves, something district officials say is not sustainable long-term as reserves are typically used to fund one-time expenses rather than staffing and ongoing programs.

Preparation of the 2021-22 Spring Budget was based on the Alberta Education Funding Model that was introduced for the 2020-21 school year. Under the new funding model, per-student funding is allocated based on a weighted moving average (WMA) system. For the 2021-22 school year, Alberta Education provided all school boards with the same operational funds received in the current (2020-21) school year.

“This was good news for our division as we would have received less funding since we had fewer students enrolled in 2020-21 than projected and we are projecting a further decline in 2021-22,” WRSD says in a release.

The budget for Student Services and the Family Wellness Worker program has increased from 2020-21 levels to provide additional support for staff, students and families during unprecedented times.

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The budget also includes a contingency of approximately $500,000 for COVID-related expenses.

The complete budget package will be posted to the district’s website by the end of the month.