CALGARY – The Calgary Board of Education is revising its operating budget to address the $32 million gap in funding it faces for the 2019-2020 school year as a result of the provincial budget.
On Thursday, the board announced its strategies for further reducing its budget. The board previously cut $40 million during the 2019 spring budget process.
The new strategies include:
- Cutting the overall funding allocated to its 246 schools by 2.5 per cent ($2.2 million), a move that will include the elimination of some temporary employee contracts and the redeployment of some staff members
- Reducing planned capital spending by $5 million
- Mid-year increases to transportation fees for yellow school bus riders
"In keeping with CBE values, we are working to minimize budget impacts to students and their learning," said CBE chief superintendent Christopher Usih in a statement. "We know that classrooms, schools, families and employees will face changes and we will continue to put students first."
It's not known how much transportation fees will increase or exactly when the changes will be implemented.
According to the CBE, the equivalent of $48 million in annualized cuts need to be found in order to generate the $32 million in savings required for the remainder of this school year.
