Jun. 26, 2019
PDF of Media Release
CALGARY – The Board of Trustees has approved the Calgary Board of Education’s
2019-20 Students Come First budget. It will now be submitted to Alberta Education in advance of the June 30 deadline.
The budget assumes that funding will remain constant at 2018-19 levels, at approximately $1.4 billion. As required by law, the 2019-20 budget is balanced.
Adjustments will be made in the fall as needed when the Province releases its 2019-20 budget.
"In the absence of a provincial budget, we are assuming we will receive the same amount of funding as we received in 2018-19," said Chief Financial Officer Brad Grundy.
An expected addition of 1,800 students and the possibility of funding levels remaining flat means the CBE took a prudent approach with the budget. Several budget-balancing strategies were used to cover the $40 million that would be required to keep supports and services at levels consistent with the 2018-19 school year.
"We expect to hold
staffing levels at 2018-19 levels across the system, which means the average class size will grow by one student across the system," said Grundy. "With more students and the same dollars, we will feel pressure on our class sizes."
Holding staffing levels essentially constant at 2018-19 levels in our schools and areas for 2019-20 reduces budget pressure by $22 million. The remainder of the budget pressure of $18 million will be addressed through a range of other strategies, including cuts to service units and the use of reserve funds.
The budget provides for many positive impacts to student learning in 2019-20, including:
- Increased focus on math and literacy
- Enhancing focus on the Indigenous Education Strategy
- Increasing the number of specialized classes
- Continuing to fund full day kindergarten at 16 locations
- Continuing to provide seven years of English Language Learner support
- Addressing equity throughout the system
- Improving accessibility and instructional support to principals, school staff, students and families through a new school support model
"We will continue to provide Calgary students with a world-class education in 2019-20," said Board of Trustees Chair Marilyn Dennis. "We look forward to welcoming more than 125,000 students into our schools in the fall while holding to our values: students come first, learning is our central purpose and public education serves the common good."
