Calgary public school board pulling from reserves to pay for operations next year

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) says it's making do with the funds it's been given after finalizing its $1.6 billion budget for next year on Tuesday. 

While school board trustees said they've continued to prioritize students in the latest financial plan, they noted a funding shortfall from the province.

According to them, the funding does not go far enough to alleviate ongoing pressures the city's public education system is facing — and the CBE will have to pull $2.6 million from its reserves to pay for operations in the upcoming school year.

Strains such as inflation, increased enrolment as well as challenges in meeting the needs of students with complex learning requirements were mentioned by trustees as they debated the budget, leaving a palpable sense of emotion in the room.

"I will support submitting a balanced budget to the provincial government that is guided by our values and the necessary strategic actions to support student [and] staff success, but it doesn't mean I have to like it," said board trustee Nancy Close. 

"Education funding needs to keep pace with student enrolment, it needs to keep pace with who our students are, and it needs to keep pace with rising costs and inflation. It's not one or the other. It is all it is, an investment in our future success as a community."

According to its website, CBE is the largest school board in western Canada, serving more than 140,000 students. 

Laura Hack, the chair of the board of trustees, said the system is currently sitting at 92 per cent utilization. It's projected to reach 98 per cent utilization next year with an increase in enrolment of about 9,000 students. 

Alberta Education provides at least 90 per cent of the CBE's funding. 

This year, the province granted the school board an additional $85 million in year over year provincial funding, allowing it to hire more than 600 new teachers, education assistants and other support staff.

But CBE says it was only able to balance its budget by drawing from its reserve fund, a move that Hack says is not sustainable. 

"We know that year over year what we're doing is spending the money that we receive. We're not sitting on it as a nest egg." 

'Already triaging'

The CBE has to keep at least one per cent of its operating expenses set aside in reserve funds, about $16 million. 

But after this year, that fund is less than $2 million away from the mandatory minimum, meaning the CBE doesn't have the savings to cover a deficit like this next year. 

"I still have massive fears that if we keep getting told we receive less, we won't be able to meet the needs of all who come to us," said Hack during the debate. 

"If we don't receive relief ASAP, we will hit a wall and are in crisis mode. Students deserve better, families deserve better and Calgarians deserve to be part of this Alberta advantage now."

Hack said while they've managed to keep central fees at the same rate — prices of student transportation and supplies, and noon supervision — families and students will feel the impacts of the new budget next year primarily through larger class sizes. 

In a statement, Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta's education minister noted Calgary's rise in population, saying the government has responded accordingly.

"We're stepping up and investing more in education to help accommodate this historic growth. Over the next three years, we have planned to invest more than $1.2 billion to address classroom complexity, which will go directly to hiring 3,000 more teachers and other educational staff," he said. 

Nicolaides noted that both the CBE and the Calgary Catholic School District  received over $100 million in new funding this year alone. 

"18 new schools are on their way for the Calgary metropolitan region that will add 16,000 needed spaces," he said.

Nicolaides added that his ministry is working closely with school jurisdictions to ensure operating reserves are used appropriately. 

"We want as much funding as possible going into classrooms to benefit student learning and supports they need to provide a safe, world-class education for their students."

CBC News asked the province what would happen if the CBE runs out of its reserve fund. The Ministry of Education did not directly answer that, but said they are working with school districts to ensure reserves are used "appropriately."