The Wild Rose School Division Board of Trustees approved a $60 million budget for the 2020-2021 school year, which includes an operating deficit of $1.5 million.The division will use reserves to cover the deficit. The budget includes an increase of approximately 6 teachers from 2019-20 staffing levels to ensure class sizes are appropriate. The budget for Student Services and the Family Wellness Worker programs will be maintained at the 2019-20 level. 2020-21 funding from Alberta Education also includes dollars for “bridge funding”. The Board is aware that this transition funding will be gradually eliminated.

Alberta Education introduced a new funding model for 2020-2021 that shifts funding to a Weighted Moving Average using student numbers across three school years and provides funding certainty at budget preparation time. As the school division has experienced declining enrolments over the last few years, this part of the new funding model has been very helpful to Wild Rose School Division.

Planning for next school year will be clarified when further government direction regarding COVID-19 is provided; however in the meantime the Division Office Administration team is reviewing and preparing for the potential impacts of the health pandemic as information arrives.