May. 21, 2018
PDF of Media Release
CALGARY – The Board of Trustees has approved the Calgary Board of Education’s 2018-19 budget report.
The $1.4 billion budget will support the operation of 249 schools and an estimated 123,513 students.
Board of Trustees Chair Trina Hurdman said the budget will allow the CBE to continue to support students and their success.
“This budget achieves a reasonable balance and enables us to keep dollars in the classroom,” she said. “Our schools once again have stable funding and the opportunity for students to flourish in their school environments.”
The budget includes funding recently announced by the Province for continued Classroom Improvement Funding (CIF). This is expected to bring an additional 149 full time equivalent (FTE) positions to classrooms around the system. These classroom-based positions will likely include 106 FTE certificated teachers and 43 FTE non-certificated support staff.
“An additional 149 classroom based staff is great news for students and their learning,” Hurdman said.
The budget includes:
- A designated and supported math leader in each school.
- Implementing a replacement Student Information System that provides greater access to and use of student profile data for students, families, teachers and leaders, supports best practices in assessment and grading and creates administrative efficiencies.
- Preparing for the implementation of new kindergarten – Grade 4 Programs of Study.
- Continuing to evaluate and act on the results of the system-wide staff engagement survey.
- Funds allocated directly to schools have increased by $22.5 million, not including the CIF. The CIF adds an additional $13.3 million to schools.
- This increase funds enrolment growth of 1.5 per cent and the opening of two new schools.
- Noon supervision fees will increase by up to 3.9 per cent and transportation fees by 4.5 per cent due to increased costs of providing those services.
- In order to maximize dollars available for students in the classroom, service unit budgets are reduced by 3-10 per cent (approx. $15 million) of discretionary budgets. Approximately 69 FTEs have been reduced in service units and Areas.
- Non-school facility capital project spending is budgeted at $31.6 million.
- As directed by the Board of Trustees, full-day kindergarten is maintained at 16 sites. This $2.2 million cost is partially paid from reserves (up to $1.2 million).
As required by law, the 2018-19 budget is balanced. When the spring budget was announced, the CBE forecasted a $35.6 million budget gap. This gap was covered using a combination of service changes, process adjustments, program modifications and approximately $2.5 million in reserves.
The budget will now be submitted to Alberta Education in advance of the June 30 deadline.
