BRSD Board Meeting Highlights - Feb. 2023
Posted on:BRSD Board Applies to Minister to Access Surplus Funds
The Battle River School Division Board of Trustees has made application to the Minister of Education to access surplus funds totaling over $3.7 million dollars.
For many years, BRSD has had a policy in place outlining that the equivalent of between 1% and 5% of the organization’s funds should be kept in unrestricted reserves. This helps ensure the school division can be responsive to opportunities or crises that may arise.
Recently, Alberta Education has determined that school divisions may only accumulate total unrestricted reserves to an amount that is equivalent to the organization’s allocation for system administration. In BRSD, that amount is 3.27%. If a school division’s unrestricted reserves are over their limit at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, the school division’s funding will be reduced accordingly in the year ahead.
Alberta Education also specifies that school divisions must obtain approval from Alberta Education for how reserve dollars will be spent.
Two proposals have been forwarded by the BRSD Board to the Minister for consideration. One proposal is requesting access to $1.268 million dollars for the purpose of:
- increasing mental health staffing and programming;
- addressing growing technology needs;
- providing training for bus drivers to meet current licensing requirements.
The second proposal is seeking $2.55 million for the purpose of renovating and furnishing a central services building. A property and building was purchased in 2021 but due to rising costs, the Board was considering borrowing money to complete the necessary renovations. Accessing reserves would allow the project to move forward, and eliminate the need to borrow. Once the new building, which is being configured to provide space to BRSD staff who currently occupy three different worksites, is complete and staff have moved in, the existing division buildings would be sold.
No action can be taken on these projects until Provincial approval is received.
Rural Education Symposium
Trustee Dwight Dibben will be representing Battle River School Division at the annual Alberta Rural Education Symposium in early March. This annual event (back live for the first time since the pandemic) offers speakers and opportunities for rural school divisions to discuss issues and solutions specific to their rural locations.
Policy Review
The Policy Committee of the BRSD Board continued their ongoing review of existing policies, looking at three policies this month:
- Board Policy 14: Appeals and Hearings regarding Student Matters
- Board Policy 15: Hearings on Teacher Matters
- Board Policy 17: Student Transportation Services and Attendance Areas
No changes were recommended at this time.
Attendance Boundary Review
The Board of Trustees will be moving forward with an Attendance Boundary Review in the coming months. This review is intended to help Trustees receive public feedback and consideration about whether existing attendance boundaries, which were put in place at the time the school division was formed in 1995, are still effective, efficient and serving the school division well. A similar process was conducted earlier within the City of Camrose, to address attendance boundary concerns that existed at that time.
Four public meetings will take place. Each meeting will have the same agenda, so members of the public are able to attend whichever meeting best suits their schedule. All four meetings will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Monday, March 20: Ryley School
Tuesday, March 21: New Norway School
Monday, April 3: Ecole Camrose Composite High School
Tuesday, April 4: Killam Public School
Upcoming Retirements
Three members of the BRSD staff who work closely with the Board of Trustees have recently announced their intention to retire. This includes:
- Shirley Fairall, Executive Assistant to the Board and the Superintendent, who will retire at the end of June;
- Diane Hutchinson, Director of Communications, who will also retire at the end of June; and
- Shan Jorgenson-Adam, Deputy Superintendent, who will retire in July.
The Board wishes all three of these dedicated employees the very best in their next adventures.