CALGARY

New life for Exshaw School as feds pledge 3-year funding commitment

CTVNewsCalgary.ca

Ryan White CTVNewsCalgary.ca Digital Producer

Published Thursday, January 30, 2020 2:23PM MST Last Updated Thursday, January 30, 2020 5:46PM MST

Plans to repurpose Exshaw School has been halted after a three-year funding agreement with the federal government was reached (file)

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CALGARY -- A funding agreement involving the federal government has provided assurance that a school west of Calgary with a primarily Indigenous student body will remain open for the next three years.

Exshaw School — located in the hamlet of Exshaw, east of Canmore, along Highway 1A — faced an uncertain future after Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) reduced its funding from $19,268 per student to $11,500 per student in December 2019. The cut prompted a Canadian Rockies Public Schools (CRPS) trustees' vote on Jan. 23 where a decision was made to begin the process of closing the school.

Following an emergency meeting Wednesday night, Exshaw School officials announced an agreement had been reached between the Stoney Education Authority (SEA), ISC and CRPS for a three-year funding commitment.

This commitment will enable Exshaw School to continue to provide a quality education to families from the Stoney Nakoda Nation who choose to send their children to Exshaw School.

Additionally, the commitment will support students from the Stoney Nakoda Nation who attend other CRPS schools to continue on the education path they have chosen.

SEA and CRPS can now begin to negotiate a modernized education service agreement during the three-years that the funding commitment is in place.

CRPS senior administration will be recommending that the Board of Trustees rescind its motion to move ahead with the repurposing of Exshaw School, at a special Board meeting to be held on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020.

In a statement to CTV, Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller reaffirmed the importance of the funding agreement while emphasizing his commitment to ensuring Exshaw School students receive a high-quality education.

"This agreement will allow for stability while a modernized education services agreement is developed between CRPS and the SEA, ensuring Stoney Nakoda First Nation holds control over the education of their children," said Miller. "We will continue to work with all parties to support the needs and costs of students attending Exshaw School and to ensure their access to a quality education."