By Jasmine Franklin
Teacher positions in the Wolf Creek School division may be at risk depending on a pay out from Alberta Education.
Of the $6.1 billion Alberta Education 2010 budget, school boards will receive $5.6 billion for operating costs and funding of programs. However, the base operating grant that boards receive to cover costs such as teacher wages and school resources and supplies has not changed.
The base operating grant underwent a three-per-cent increase for next year. Without the additional funding, Wolf Creek School Division superintendent Larry Jacobs said the division may have to cut back on staffing and school resources.
“If we don’t receive the three per cent expected for our budget we will have to reduce spending in other areas such as support services and be forced to reduce our staff,” Jacobs said. “The reduction however will rely entirely on the minister’s decision, if we get all three percent, or one per cent or simply nothing.”
In the case that the funding isn’t received, schools in the division may suffer a loss to their current 385 teaching staff and a pull of resources such as funding to support services to make up for the money not supplied.
“Our primary focus is to make sure to hold on to the highly trained staff — the focus is the teacher with the student in the classroom” Jacobs said. “The money comes as one big package and it is our responsibility to distribute the money accordingly. That includes resources in the division and the pay out for teachers.”
Also in the provincial education budget is $513 million to build new schools and upgrade existing ones and $456 million to operate and maintain current schools.
And that isn’t the only problem for this coming school year. There are 200 fewer students in the Wolf Creek division, something Jacobs said the budget will have to reflect.
Jacobs said the decision on funding should be announced at the end of the month.