It was a big task, but trustees at Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) approved the 2020-2021 school year budget.
Due to the provincial government maintaining its overall funding for education at the same level as the current school year with no accounting for increases in students or other costs, WCPS was forced to look at making cuts amounting to about $2.7 million for the next school year.
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To reach that target, WCPS will use up $1 million of its reserves, reduce central office expenses by more than $766,000, cut school operational budgets by 10 per cent and conduct a restructuring of all programming at the BRICK Learning Centre in Ponoka and the Wolf Creek Academy in Lacombe.
“This is a challenging budget, and there are reductions the board has been forced to make throughout the division,” said WCPS superintendent Jayson Lovell in a news release on Apr. 20.
“But the commitment to students remained at the forefront of the board’s mind, throughout their deliberations.”
Lovell added the passing of the budget came following months of consultations and analysis.
“This past November, the board directed senior administration to undertake a complete analysis of operations. This included staff surveys to gather feedback on programs, input from administrators on various budget scenarios and consultation with district office leaders,” he said.
“The board sincerely appreciates the thoughtful and thorough engagement shown through the process, which was invaluable in their decision-making.”