Even as they approved their fall budget last week that administration had to carve $10 million out of to bring it into balance because of a shortfall of funding from the Alberta government,  the Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees knew their work was far from over.  

Immediately following the budget's passing, RVS Board Chair Fiona Gilbert presented a motion requesting that School Superintendent Greg Luterbach draft a community consultation plan to get input and feedback from parents and stakeholders into budget and program priorities for future school years.  

The motion asked for the plan to be brought forward for Board consideration at their January 21st regular meeting.  The motion passed unanimously.  

Gilbert acknowledges that a second funding challenge lies just around the corner for the board.  "We are expecting a new funding framework for how dollars are shared among school boards across the province.  We know that's going to be in place for the next school year so we will hear about it, probably in March, maybe in February and we don't know what that's going to look like."

Gilbert believes changes to the funding formula could impact the amount RVS and other school divisions receive for education.  "As we move forward, we need to know from parents what their needs and desires are for their kids and other students in our classrooms so we can continue to offer them the exceptional programming that our students deserve."

Gilbert wants parents to tell the board what it they value and what's important to them in education.  She also expects the conversation to turn to the subject of paying school fees and instructional resource fees.

"If you want this thing, what is the warmth to paying some school fees to help offset those costs if we're not able to afford all of the things that we'd like to have."

Gilbert says even though they've done a number of transportation consultations in the last couple of years, that subject too will likely be on the table during the consultations.

Once the board takes a look at the plan that the superintendent puts together they'll need to get moving quickly.  "As I said, we get budget information typically from the government in March," explains Gilbert.  "We work through our budget in March and April and typically approve it in May.  Once we get the plan we can move forward in February and March and have the actual consultations and it gives us time to gather the feedback and to be able to have it available to us as we go into budget deliberations in April and May."

Gilbert says the consultation process could involve a survey that parents can fill out online.  She's also hoping for some in-person meetings so the board can talk to people face to face.

Gilbert believes getting parents to express their wishes and desires in the education of their children is crucial as they go forward into what is an uncertain future for education.

"Speaking as a trustee, as the Chair of the Board and as a parent, I think it's very crucial for parents to share their voice in this.  There will be some challenging and hard decisions for the board to make moving forward and the more voices we hear as part of that consultation, the better the decisions will be."

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