CALGARY -- Next year could be the last for Exshaw School, forcing 200 First Nations students to find a new school.
Indigenous Services Canada has cut the school district’s per-student funding from $19,268 per student to approximately $11,500.
That amounts to a $1.68 million shortfall that would force the district to close the school.
“This is a sacred place for us,” said Phillomene Stevens, a Stoney Knowledge Keeper and volunteer who works with families to encourage good attendance. “This is where we get our education and education is really important, it’s for us – and that’s why we really support our students.”
The school is working for students and their families, who credit strong cultural programs and relevant curriculum, along with volunteers who work to keep attendance rates high – currently about 87 per cent. The strong start pays off at the secondary school level.
“We have high school graduation rates … that are fantastic compared to what they’ve been historically,” says Christopher MacPhee, Superintendent of Schools for the Canadian Rockies School District. “They are a direct result of the funding and resources we are able to put in place to support these students.”
Money is in place to keep the school open through the 2021/22 school year, but after that the school district will need to either get more from the federal government or negotiate a new funding arrangement with the Stoney Nakoda Nation.
In an ironic twist, as federal funding jeopardizes the future of Exshaw School, two of its volunteers will be honoured in Ottawa in January when they receive Governor General’s Awards for their work with students and their families.
